Pakistan's first female fighter pilot is smashing stereotypes

"Ayesha and her sister [grew up] in an environment where it’s pretty hard to survive if you don’t have a male protector," says Bina Shah, author of several books including, most recently, "A Season for Martyrs."

Shah, who has written about Farooq, says her father was a physician and she grew up watching him take care of people.

“His absence in her life made her realize how important it was to have a protector of the family and she decided she was going to step into that role," she says. Farooq joined the air force academy to train as a fighter pilot.

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