In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, under which India destroyed 9 terror launch pads in Pakistan and PoK, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Col. Sofiya Qureshi, and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh addressed the media on Wednesday. The presence of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh in the Operation Sindoor Press Conference gave a strong message to Pakistan and Pakistani terrorists that women are enough to handle them. As both the women officers gave details on Operation Sindoor, users on social media started to dig out who is Colonel Sofiya Qureshi? Below is all about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi-
Who is Colonel Sofiya Qureshi?
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is an officer in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army. Currently, she serves in the Signal Corps. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is the first female officer of the Indian Army, who is leading the Army's training exercise 'Exercise Force 18' program.
35-year-old Sofiya Qureshi is a resident of Vadodara, Gujarat. She has a postgraduate degree in Biochemistry.
Sofiya Qureshi joined the army in 1999 under the Short Service Commission. At that time, she was only 17 years old. Sofiya Qureshi's grandfather was also in the army. Sofia's husband is an army officer in the Mechanized Infantry.
In March 2016, Sofiya Qureshi became the first female officer to lead an army contingent in a multinational military exercise. The training exercise 'Exercise Force 18' program is the largest foreign military exercise ever. The exercise was attended by members of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), including India, Japan, China, Russia, the United States, Korea, New Zealand, and Australia. It was held in Pune, India.
She has also been involved with PKOs (Peacekeeping Operations) since 2010. She has had an experience with this kind of duty before as well, when she served in the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Congo in 2006 as a military observer.
Lieutenant Colonel Qureshi has an excellent work record. She was an active participant of the Operation Parakram on the Punjab border, for which she was even awarded a commendation card by the GOC- in- C (General Officer Commanding in Chief). Her work in communication during the flood relief operations in the North East fetched her an SO- in- C (Signal Officer in Chief) commendation card.
What did Colonel Qureshi say about Operation Sindoor?
Col. Sofiya Qureshi said, "Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families. Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed. Over the last three decades, Pakistan has systematically built a terror infrastructure. It is a complex web of recruitment and indoctrination centres, training areas for initial and refresher courses, and launchpads for handlers."
Col. Sofiya Qureshi, while addressing the media, also presented videos showing multiple hits on the Mundrike and other terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoJK.
Col. Sofiya Qureshi stated, "No military installation was targeted, and till now there are no reports of civilian casualties in Pakistan."