Pakistans lone female top gun

There's only one Pakistani woman who is recognized as a female war-ready fighter pilot, and that's Ayesha Farooq. 19 women have qualified to be fighter pilots in Pakistan over the last decade, including five others currently in the military, but currently Farooq is the only one qualified for combat.

Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, poses for photograph as she sits in the cockpit of a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)
 

   Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot watches an airforce jet about to take off at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 7, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)
 

   Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, smiles during an interview with Reuters at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)
 

   A Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force takes off from Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 7, 2013. Ayesha Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY)

     Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, shops at the market of Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture take June 6, 2013. . REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)
 

   Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, gives the thumb-up sign from the cockpit of a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

    Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, smiles during an interview with Reuters at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)
 

  Ayesha Farooq, 26, (R) Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, talks with avionics engineer Anam Hassan, 24, at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 7, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)

    Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, climbs up to a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

    Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot,sits in the cockpit of a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)
 

   Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, poses for photograph as she sits in a cockpit of a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)
 

   Ayesha Farooq, 26, (L) Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, talks with squad leader Imran Khan after their briefing at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)

    Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, stands during an interview with Reuters at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)

    A Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force takes off from Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 7, 2013. Ayesha Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY)

    Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, looks up as she closes the cockpit of a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)
 

   Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, performs a pre-flight check on a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)

    Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, sits in the cockpit of a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)

    Ayesha Farooq, 26, (C) Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, walks with Wing Commander of Squadron 20 Nasim Abbas (2nd R) and her colleagues toward a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)

    Ayesha Farooq, 26, (C) Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, chats with her colleagues beside a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

    REFILE - CORRECTING MODEL OF PLANE, AND REMOVING SECOND AND THIRD SENTENCES. THE PICTURE IS NOT RELATED TO THE STORY ON FIGHTER PILOT AYESHA FAROOQ. A JF-17 Thunder fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force takes off from Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 7, 2013. The plane is co-developed by the Aviation Industry Corp of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, according to local media. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY)

     Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot watches an airforce jet about to take off at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 7, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)

    Ayesha Farooq, 26, (2nd R) Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot, attends a briefing with colleagues at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)

     Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot watches an airforce jet about to take off at Mushaf base in Sargodha, north Pakistan June 7, 2013. Picture taken June 7, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province's historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan's defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (PAKISTAN - Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY)