Sky isn’t the limit, girl from Rajouri gets selected as Flying officer in IAF

Rutba Iqbal / Awaz e Khwateen

Tahirah Rehman, from Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir has been selected for Short Service Commission training in the AE (L) branch of the Indian Air Force. She is the first Gujjar girl from Jammu and Kashmir to be selected as an IAF officer.

Tahirah’s achievement comes as a testament to her strong will. She hails from a backward district in Rajouri and had to strive against all odds to realize her dreams. During an exclusive conversation with Awaz-e-Khwateen, Abdul Rehman - father of Tahirah Rehman said, “We come from the most backward districts of Rajouri, I used to travel for 4 hours to get Tahirah to the school. The infrastructure of the schools was also not so great, we faced a lot of difficulties along the way”. Tahirah’s father never gave up because he wanted to give her daughter a bright future.

The patriotic fervor in Tahirah was ignited by her father, who worked in the Indian Army for 20 years. She had shown a keen interest in her father’s profession, from an early age. “My daughter was always interested in joining the Indian Army. She would always come up to me with questions and discussions about my work. Tahirah was very physically active, and she always wanted to go into a profession where her physical strength could be used to her benefit”. Recognizing her potential, later her mother, Rakia Begum enrolled Tahirah into Army Public School, Jammu.

Tahirah pursued her B. Tech from IIT Jabalpur. She balanced her education and sports even while pursuing her engineering degree. She was actively involved with the football team, her parents encouraged her to explore her interests without giving into a restrictive mindset.


Emphasizing on educating girls, Tahirah's mother said, “If my daughter can do this being from such a backward area, so can all the girls. Educating one girl in a house will educate the whole district and one day the whole nation will be literate”. The family said their morale has increased due to the overwhelming response from their community.

Tahirah Rehman’s story is an inspiration, it sets out an example of how a nurturing environment and a father’s far-sightedness can make a real difference in a girl's life. Tahirah has persevered against all odds, she is a tall representation of all the dedicated girls from Jammu and Kashmir. She has touched the heights of the sky making space for many young girls to come.

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