May 7th 2025.
New Delhi: As a child growing up in a military family, Sofiya Qureshi was always surrounded by stories of bravery and sacrifice from her grandfather, who had served in the army. These tales had a deep impact on her and when she expressed her desire to join the armed forces, her family stood by her decision without hesitation. Today, as a colonel in the Indian Army, she was chosen to brief the nation on the recent 'Operation Sindoor' carried out by the Indian armed forces.
During the briefing, Col Sofiya and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force stood alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who delivered the government's opening statement. The briefing was held shortly after the Indian armed forces launched missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and PoK, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.
Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh shared details about the sites targeted, which took place between 1 am and 1.30 am on the night of May 6-7. Col Qureshi, who comes from a long line of military officers, was inspired to serve her country from a young age. She is an officer from the Corps of Signals and spoke in Hindi during the briefing, while Wing Commander Singh shared the details in English, complementing each other perfectly.
The strikes were carried out under 'Operation Sindoor' as a response to the brutal massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam two weeks ago. In a panel discussion in 2017, Col Qureshi had shared her journey into the armed forces and what motivated her to don the olive-green uniform.
"As a child raised in a military environment, I was always exposed to the army way of life. My mother had always hoped that one of her daughters would join the army and I applied for it and got in. My grandfather, who was also a soldier, used to say that it is our duty as citizens to be vigilant and protect our nation. It is a dignified and honorable job," she had recalled.
She also mentioned that she joined the academy during the Kargil war. Her family members were pleasantly surprised and proud to see her on television during the recent briefing. Her mother shared with PTI Videos, "We are extremely happy and proud of what our daughter has done for the country. Every parent should educate their children, especially daughters, and make them capable of becoming officers and serving the nation."
Her brother also expressed his pride in her achievements, saying, "When I saw her on TV, I couldn't believe my eyes. It took me a moment to realize that the person speaking was my sister. It is a matter of great pride for all of us." He also added that India's action has finally settled the score with Pakistan.
Col Qureshi was born in Gujarat's Vadodara in 1974 and graduated with a Master's in biochemistry from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in 1997. She has been an officer in the critical Corps of Signals and has been selected for various roles, including a military observer in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006 and participating in flood relief operations in the Northeast region.
In 2016, she made history by being the first woman officer to lead the Indian Army's contingent at a multi-national field training exercise, Force 18, hosted by India for peacekeeping among ASEAN nations. "She was the only woman officer contingent commander among all ASEAN Plus contingents," shared the Ministry of Defence in a Women's Day post, along with a photograph of Col Qureshi.
She has also received accolades during her time as part of the United Nations training team and has conducted workshops to motivate and uplift youths, especially girls, in insurgency-prone areas of Kashmir and West Bengal. Along her journey, she has received numerous awards and has been an inspiration to many citizens, especially young women, to pursue a career in the armed forces.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
