With the development of making a gender-neutral force, the Indian Air Force has recently selected Group Captain Shaliza Dhami to take over the command of the frontline combat unit against Pakistan in the western sector.

Group Captain who is moreover on the similar position of Colonel in the army. Dhami was commissioned in 2003 as a helicopter pilot and has managed to gain a flying experience of 2,800 hours. She is the first qualified woman flying instructor in the IAF and has served as a flight commander of a helicopter unit in the Western sector.

The selection of Dhami has underlined the IAF's efforts to actually entrust women with more chances in combat and command roles. She went on to get a permanent commission.

The IAF broke it's existing standard when it appointed in 2016, three women officers- Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh. In 2018, flying officer Avani Chaturvedi became the first Indian woman pilot to fly a fighter aircraft solo by flying a MiG-21 Bison.

Currently, some 1,875 women officers are serving in the IAF which has opened it's several branches including some special forces unit for women. The female officers are working as weapon systems operators in Sukhoi fighters and are flying the special operations squandrons of the C-130j Hercules, C-17 strategic transport aircraft.

The IAF already has a few women commanding the static units but they only have a supporting role and are not directly part of the combat zone. Group Captain Dhami will be actually heading the operations area. Dhami has also been in the past commended by Air Officer Commander-in-Chief on some ocassions.

When females are not allowed to hold command in the familial set-up, it is really a breakthrough development when the defence forces of the country are actually appointing and giving them the command to combat the enemy forces in one of the most sensitive regions of the India-Pakistan border.

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Reference:

• businesstoday.in