No stranger to making history, grandfather in the Army: Who is Colonel Sofiya Qureshi?

Indian Express

07-05-2025

On Wednesday, when India gave a detailed account about Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi was among the two women armed forces officers who held the briefing in a strong message of resolve, inclusion, and operational confidence.
Along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, Colonel Qureshi gave a detailed presentation, along with footage of strikes and maps of terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was also present at the briefing on Operation Sindoor.
Col Qureshi, whose grandfather also served in the Indian Army, said Operation Sindoor 'was launched by the Indian armed forces to deliver justice to the victims of the terror attack and their families'. 'Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed.'
Col Qureshi said these targets were chosen 'based on credible intelligence inputs and the role of these facilities in perpetrating the terror activities'. 'The locations were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructures and loss of any civilian lives. This was done with due diligence.'
Who is Colonel Sofiya Qureshi?
An officer with the Corps of Signals, Col Qureshi was the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army contingent in a large multinational military exercise, among many other distinctions. In February and March of 2016, Col Qureshi, who was then a 35-year-old Lieutenant Colonel, led the Indian Army's 40-member contingent into a multinational exercise.
Multinational Field Training Exercise (FTX) – Exercise FORCE 18, involved ASEAN Plus countries. At the time, it was the largest Ground Forces Exercise ever conducted on Indian soil and was based on the themes 'Humanitarian Mine Action' and 'Peacekeeping Operations'.
A postgraduate in Biochemistry, Col Sofiya Qureshi has served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Congo in 2006, and has also been associated with the PKOs for several years during her career.
During the concluding ceremony of the 2016 multinational exercise, when she was asked how she felt about leading the contingent, she said, 'I feel proud, of course.' And her message to other young women in the armed forces was, 'Work hard for the country and make everyone proud.'
For young women of the country, she said, 'Join the Army.'
'A rare distinction'
An Indian Army press statement issued then lauded Col Qureshi, and said she had the 'rare distinction of becoming the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army training contingent in such a large multinational exercise. The officer also happens to be the only Woman Officer Contingent Commander amongst all other ASEAN Plus contingents present for the exercise.'
Late General Bipin Rawat, the Army Commander of Southern Command who later became the Army Chief and India's first Chief of Defence Staff, was at the time asked about Lt Col Qureshi and the rare distinction.
'In the Army, we believe in equal opportunity and equal responsibility. In the Army, there is no difference between male and female officers. She has been chosen not because she is a woman but because she has the abilities and leadership qualities to shoulder the responsibility,' the late General Rawat had said.