While the entire world is talking about Operation Sindoor and applauding the bravery of our armed forces, there is also significant attention on two remarkable women officers. These officers made history by appearing alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during a high-level briefing.
They are Colonel Sofia Qureshi of the Indian Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force. The trailblazers have captured global admiration for their courage and leadership.
Let’s learn more about these inspiring women who are being celebrated around the world.
Colonel Sofia Qureshi, a member of the Indian Army’s Signal Corps, is a seasoned officer with a postgraduate degree in biochemistry.
Hailing from Gujarat, she is married to Major Tajuddin Qureshi of the Mechanised Infantry and is a mother to their son, Sameer. Qureshi made history in 2016 as the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army training contingent at the multinational Force 18 exercise in Pune, standing out as the sole female among 40 officers from 18 countries.
During the Operation Sindoor briefing, she presented videos of the destroyed terror camps, including sites linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and emphasized India’s restraint in avoiding civilian casualties. Her father, Tajuddin Qureshi, expressed immense pride, stating, “We are Indian first, and Muslim afterwards. Our family is concerned only about our country.”
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, a distinguished helicopter pilot, has logged over 2,500 flying hours on Chetak and Cheetah helicopters, operating in challenging terrains like Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
Commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2004 and promoted to Wing Commander in 2017, Singh has been recognized for her role in high-risk missions and rescue operations, including a notable 2020 mission in Arunachal Pradesh.
Her passion for flying was sparked in the early 1990s when a classmate noted that her name, Vyomika, means “one who resides in the sky.” During the briefing, she spoke in English, detailing the precision strikes and reassuring that no Pakistani military establishments were targeted to avoid escalation.