Colonel Sofiya Qureshi during Wednesday morning's briefing post-Operation Sindoor (image-X/NaqibZaman75857)

New Delhi: On Wednesday, two female officers – Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh – accompanied Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during the briefing about Operation Sindoor, sending a clear message.

While Col. Qureshi addressed the media in Hindi, Wing Commander Singh delivered the information in English. The officers presented visual evidence captured by onboard targeting systems and surveillance drones, showing confirmed hits on terror infrastructure located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

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When Supreme Court Hailed Colonel Sofiya Qureshi

Back in 2020, the Supreme Court gave a landmark judgement granting Permanent Commission to women officers in the Indian Army. During the hearing, the top court rejected the central government’s contention that women officers were unsuitable for Permanent Commission.

While highlighting the exemplary service of several Women Short Service Commission Officers, the apex court cited twelve names. The first name was Colonel Sofiya Qureshi.

“Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi (Army Signal Corps) is the first woman to lead an Indian Army contingent at a multinational military exercise named “Exercise Force 18”, which is the largest-ever foreign military exercise hosted by India. She served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Congo in 2006, where she, along with others, was in charge of monitoring ceasefires in those countries and aiding in humanitarian activities. Her job included ensuring peace in conflict-affected areas,” the court observed, as quoted by LiveLaw.

Observing how women officers in the Indian army had brought laurels to the force, the Supreme Court highlighted how they have been participating in the UN Peacekeeping Force since 2004 and have deployed in active combat scenarios in countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Ethiopia and Israel.

Who Is Colonel Sofiya Qureshi?

Born in Gujarat, Colonel Sofiya belongs to a military family. Her grandfather and father had served in the Indian army. After pursuing her undergrad and postgraduate degrees in biochemistry from Vadodara’s MS University, she joined the varsity as an assistant lecturer while pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry to become a professor.

Around that time, she was selected for the Indian Army through the Short Service Commission (SSC) and decided to quit her Ph.D. and teaching career to join the forces.

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She was commissioned through the Officers Training Academy in 1990. She then began her service as a lieutenant on the Punjab border. During her early days, she also participated in flood relief operations in the Northeast.

In 2006, she was selected as a military observer in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she operated in militia-affected zones during a volatile political climate and contributed to peacekeeping efforts during the country’s presidential elections.

During her time in Congo, she helped reunite a missing five-year-old girl with her family and was awarded a Force Commander Commendation on United Nations Day, reported ThePrint.

She became the first woman to lead the Indian contingent in Exercise Force 18, a large ASEAN-plus multinational field training exercise hosted in India in 2016. She was also the only woman commander among representatives from 18 participating countries participating in the exercise.

Colonel Sofiya has also served with UN training teams in South Africa, Cambodia, and Bangladesh, conducting workshops aimed at engaging and motivating youth, particularly girls, in conflict-prone areas such as Kashmir. She was awarded the Chief of Army Staff Plaque of Honour.

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As Second-in-Command of the Military Provost Unit, in 2020, she was tasked with training the first batch of Women Military Police, who were subsequently deployed in counter-insurgency zones.

For her contribution to women’s empowerment, she has received multiple commendations, including citations from the Vice Chief of Army Staff, according to ThePrint.