Sofia Qureshi holds the distinction of being the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army contingent in a multinational military exercise
NEW DELHI — India conducted ‘Operation Sindoor’ on terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) in the early hours of Wednesday. The details of the military strike were shared in a joint press briefing.
Notably, two women officers were part of the press briefing, which was headed by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The women officers are Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.
Who is Colonel Sofia Qureshi?
Colonel Sofia Qureshi is a decorated officer of the Indian Army’s Corps of Signals. She holds the distinction of being the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army contingent in a multinational military exercise.
In 2016, she also led the Indian team at ‘Exercise Force 18’, India’s largest-hosted foreign military drill. It is worth noting that Qureshi was the only female commander among 18 participating contingents.
Hailing from Gujarat, Qureshi is a postgraduate in Biochemistry. She comes from a military background. Her grandfather served in the Indian Army, while her husband is an officer from the Mechanised Infantry, Business Standard reported.
Her past stints include serving at the United Nations’ Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) for six years and a notable time in the United Nations Mission in Congo (2006).
Qureshi described her peacekeeping duties as supporting humanitarian efforts in conflict zones and involving the monitoring of ceasefires. Calling it a “proud moment”, she encouraged women in the armed forces to “work hard for the country.”
Press briefing
At a press briefing in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, flanked by senior defence officers Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, described the action as a “measured and proportionate” response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. That attack, attributed to Pakistan-backed groups, claimed 26 lives, including that of a Nepali national, and left many more injured.
Colonel Qureshi said the operation represented a strategic shift in India’s approach to cross-border terrorism. “For over three decades, Pakistan has systematically built terror infrastructure across PoK and its own territory — including recruitment centres, training camps, and launch pads. This operation was aimed at dismantling those very foundations.”
Operation Sindoor
In a bold and calibrated military move, India has struck at the heart of Pakistan-based terror infrastructure, reportedly targeting well-known training camps in Muridke and Bahawalpur in a joint operation conducted by the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy.
The highly coordinated operation — codenamed Operation Sindoor — was launched in the early hours of Wednesday and lasted just 25 minutes. Between 1.05 a.m. and 1.30 a.m., Indian forces unleashed 24 missiles that precisely hit nine terror facilities across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), killing an estimated 70 terrorists.
Government sources said that extreme care was taken to avoid civilian and military installations, underlining the non-escalatory and proportionate nature of the strikes. — With inputs from media
