“Operation Sindoor was launched to give justice to victims of Pahalgam terrorist attack. Nine terrorist camps were targeted and destroyed,” said Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who was one of the all-female representatives of the Indian Army to brief the media on Operation Sindoor.
The choice of the two women officers carries symbolism like the word ‘Sindoor’ was selected reportedly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver the message of avenging the Pahalgam terror attack that widowed Indian women.
The presence of the two women officers has gained significance as the operation was aimed at delivering justice to the widows of all men who were killed in the attack.
The word Sindoor, Vermillion in English, is used on the head as a mark of Hindu married women.
Who are the two women officers?
Sofiya Qureshi, 35, is an officer from the Indian Army’s Corps of Signals.
The exercise was marked by the participation of 18 countries including top global powers like the US, China, and Japan.
Colonel Qureshi, whose grandfather had served in the Army, was the only woman officer to lead a contingent in Force 18. She is married to an officer from Mechanised Infantry.
In a complete contrasting scenario, Wing Commander Singh is the first from her family to join the Army.
In a bid to fulfill her childhood dream of flying, Wing Commander Singh joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and later finished engineering.
She played crucial roles in multiple rescue missions including one in Arunachal Pradesh in 2020.
