Sania Mirza of U.P. on the flight path to be India’s first Muslim woman fighter pilot

Sania Mirza, daughter of a TV mechanic, flashes victory sign, after cracking the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam, in Mirzapur.
| Photo Credit: PTI

If all goes well, Sania Mirza, daughter of a TV mechanic hailing from Mirzapur district’s Jasovar village in Uttar Pradesh, might become India’s first Muslim woman fighter pilot after she cleared the prestigious National Defence Academy (NDA) examination with an overall rank of 149. After the declaration of results, many reports claimed that India will get its first Muslim woman fighter pilot, which forced the Indian Air Force (IAF) to put the facts in perspective through a statement which categorically stated the chances of Ms. Mirza becoming an IAF fighter will depend on her completing successfully multiple courses which she will undertake in the academy during the next four years.

“Assuming that the young woman received joining instructions for NDA, it would take four years from now for her to be commissioned as a pilot in the IAF. During these four years, she will have to successfully complete the designated training for the flying branch and have the aptitude and merit to make it as a fighter pilot,” the statement issued by the IAF read. The IAF extended best wishes to Ms. Mirza for her successful future and hoped her dreams come true.

Ms. Mirza, a student of Guru Nanak Girls Inter College, was the district topper in the U.P. Board’s Class 12 examination. After the NDA result was announced, Ms. Mirza told local mediapersons that she wants the younger generation to get inspired by her, like how she was inspired by Flight Lieutenant Avani Chaturvedi, who was among the three women inducted into the IAF as combat pilot. Ms. Mirza appeared in the NDA examination held on April 10 this year. She is one of the two women selected in flying branch and will join the training course in Pune on December 27.