Meet Col Sofiya Qureshi: The voice & nerve behind Operation Sindoor briefing
Qureshi, an officer from the Corps of Signals, is the third generation of her family in the armed forces
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri with Colonel Sophia Qureshi (left) and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh during a press briefing of Operation Sindoor (Photo: @airnewsalerts / X)
New Delhi, May 7: Col Sofiya Qureshi, who briefed the media on Wednesday alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh on India's “Operation Sindoor”, is a multi-generation officer in the Army who imbibed the spirit of serving the nation from an early age.
During the briefing, the two women officers -- Col Sofiya and Wing Commander Vyomika -- sat on the dais flanked by the foreign secretary, who delivered the opening statement from the government, hours after the Operation that destroyed nine terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK.
Qureshi, an officer from the Corps of Signals, spoke in Hindi while IAF helicopter pilot Singh shared the details in English, complementing each other.
In a panel discussion hosted in 2017, Qureshi shared about her journey into the armed forces, and what inspired her to don the olive-green uniform.
“Being a 'Fauji' kid, I was exposed to the army environment. My mother wanted either of us two sisters to join the Army. I applied for it and got it. My grandfather was also in the Army, and he used to say 'it is our responsibility, of every citizen, to be alert and stand up for our country and defend the nation'. It is a dignified and an honourable job,” she had recalled.
She also said that when she "joined the academy, the Kargil war was going on".
The officer also led an army training contingent at a multinational field training exercise in 2016.
"1st woman officer to lead an Army training contingent at Force18 - #ASEAN Plus multinational field training exercise in 2016. She was the only Woman Officers Contingent Commander among all #ASEAN Plus contingents. #WomensDay #IWD2020 #EachforEqual #SheInspiresUs," the Ministry of Defence had said in a Woman's Day post on social, sharing a photograph of Qureshi.
-PTI