India has carried out military action on a total of 9 locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK). India named it Operation Sindoor and said that they have targeted terrorist bases in Pakistan and POK. A press conference was held by the Indian Army to share official information on this issue. During this, Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh briefed the media and gave information about the airstrike.
In the information shared by the army, it was said that Operation Sindoor was carried out between 1:04 and 1:11 am on Tuesday and Wednesday night. In 7 minutes, the army carried out the entire operation by targeting 9 targets. This is the first time in Indian history that the briefing of military action has been given by women officers. However, Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry was also present at this briefing.
Let’s know who these two women are.
Who is Colonel Sophia Qureshi?
Currently working as a Colonel in the Indian Army, Sophia is originally from Gujarat. Currently, she is an officer attached to the Corps of Signals of the Indian Army. Qureshi joined the army in 1999 at the age of just 17 under the Short Service Commission. She has a post-graduation degree in Bio-Chemistry. Her family background is also from the army. Her grandfather has served in the army. She is married to an army officer serving in the Mechanized Infantry.
34-year-old Sophia was a part of the United Nations Peace Mission in 2006. She was given the responsibility of observer here. She also attended the conference of ASEAN countries. Then Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat had said about her,
“Sophia Qureshi was not chosen only because she is a woman, but she was chosen because she has leadership ability and full ability to fulfill responsibility.”
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Colonel Qureshi said that the army had selected the targets on the basis of reliable information and intelligence. During the operation, the Indian Army ensured that innocent people and civilian infrastructure were not harmed.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh
Apart from Colonel Qureshi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force was also present at this briefing. Unlike Colonel Qureshi, Vyomika Singh is the first member of her family to serve in the Indian Military Forces. She is a helicopter pilot in the Indian Air Force.
On 18 December 2019, she was permanently commissioned as a helicopter pilot in the flying branch of the Indian Air Force. She has done her graduation in engineering.
With over 2,500 flying hours of experience, Wing Commander Singh has operated helicopters like Chetak and Cheetah in some of the most difficult areas of India. He has experience flying helicopters from the high hills of Jammu and Kashmir to the remote areas of Northeast India. In the year 2020, he also led an important rescue operation in Arunachal Pradesh. In 2021, she proved her proficiency once again by participating in the all-women tri-services mountaineering expedition held on Mount Manirang (21,650 feet).
Air strikes were carried out on 9 locations in 7 cities including Muzaffarabad, Bahawalpur, Muridke, news agency PTI reported. These include 4 Jaish-e-Mohammed, 3 Lashkar-e-Taiba and 2 Hizbul Mujahideen hideouts.
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