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Colonel Sophia Qureshi is known for being the first woman to lead an Indian contingent at a multinational military exercise. She has also served in UN peacekeeping missions.
Colonel Sofia Qureshi (Photo: Facebook)
The Supreme Court on Thursday rapped up Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Vijay Shah for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Colonel Sophia Qureshi.
In a post on X, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said instructions were given to take action against Shah following the orders of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
A First Information Report (FIR) had already been registered against the minister in this regard.
WHO IS COLONEL SOPHIA QURESHI?
Hailing from Gujarat, Colonel Sophia Qureshi is one of the two women officers who briefed the media on ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 8.
She holds a postgraduate degree in biochemistry. Coming from a military family, her grandfather served in the Indian Army. She is married to an officer in the Mechanised Infantry.
During the media briefing, Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force (IAF) flanked Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on the dais, who delivered the opening statement from the government.
The briefing came hours after the Indian armed forces, under ‘Operation Sindoor’, carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
COL QURESHI – FIRST WOMAN TO LEAD ARMY CONTINGENT
Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi (Army Signal Corps) is the first woman to lead an Indian Army contingent at a multi-national military exercise named ‘Exercise Force 18’, which is the largest ever foreign military exercise hosted by India.
In March 2020, the Ministry of Defence called her the “leading lady” as she trained the Army contingent.
She has 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 the conflict-affected areas.
An officer in the critical Corps of Signals, in the past, she had been picked for the role of a military observer in Congo in 2006, besides being part of flood relief operations in the Northeast region.
The officer broke the glass ceiling when in 2016, she became the first woman officer to lead its contingent at the multi-national field training exercise, Exercise Force 18, hosted by India for interoperability in sustaining peace among the ASEAN nations.
Her selection to lead India’s contingent at Exercise Force 18 was endorsed by then Southern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat, who cited her proven leadership, discipline, and field experience as the basis for the appointment.
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