Nigeria, Aug. 17 -- Of the many vocations known to humanity, few are as rooted in macho masculinity as the military and the law. In tales of both war and law, the advances recorded by women over the past century have been nothing short of remarkable.

In 1970, Pakistan's ruler was a four-star army general who had fought in World War II. His opposite number in India was a woman whose main claim to the position initially was that she was her father's daughter.

Yahya Khan was the fifth Commander-In-Chief of Pakistan's army when public protests forced then military ruler, General Ayoub Khan (no relation), to abdicate suddenly in March 1969. As Ayoub Khan's inheritor, Yahya Khan assumed office as Pakistan's third president.

Across the border...