India cannot stop beaming over Col. Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. They are the embodiment of everything this country can aspire to achieve. Two women, the definition of empowerment, standing tall and accomplishing the annihilation of terrorism and everything terrorism stands for.
Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh are two accomplished women officers in the Indian Armed Forces who came to limelight as they jointly addressed the media during a high-profile briefing on “Operation Sindoor.” This operation was India’s retaliatory strike on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following a deadly attack in Pahalgam. [Read about it] Their presence at the forefront of this communication highlighted the increasing leadership roles of women in the Indian military.
Colonel Sofia Qureshi is an officer in the Indian Army’s Corps of Signals. With over three decades of service, she was commissioned in 1999 and has earned a reputation for her uncompromising attitude and fearless endeavors. A postgraduate in Biochemistry, Col. Qureshi hails from Gujarat and comes from a military family.
Col. Qureshi holds the distinction of being the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army contingent in a multinational military exercise, “Exercise Force 18,” in 2016, where she was the only female commander among 18 participating nations. She has also served with the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Congo for six years, beginning in 2006, where she monitored ceasefires and supported humanitarian efforts. Her exemplary service has earned her commendations, including one for her role during Operation Parakram and another for her leadership in flood relief operations in Northeast India. The Supreme Court of India has also acknowledged her achievements in a landmark ruling granting permanent commission to women officers in the Army.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh is a decorated helicopter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF). Inspired by her name, which means “the one who resides in the sky,” she dreamt of flying from a young age. She pursued an engineering degree after joining the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and was commissioned into the IAF as a helicopter pilot, receiving her permanent commission in the flying branch in December 2019.
Wing Commander Singh has logged over 2,500 flying hours, operating Chetak and Cheetah helicopters in challenging terrains, including high-altitude regions like Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. She has led numerous search and rescue missions, demonstrating exceptional flying and leadership skills, notably during a high-altitude operation in Arunachal Pradesh in 2020. In 2021, she participated in an all-women tri-services expedition to Mount Manirang. Her professionalism and dedication have earned her commendations from senior IAF officers.
At Pahalgam attack, the terrorists killed men and spared women to be the messengers of their terror. To them, the women were either not worthy of being killed, or there was greater pleasure in their misery. The ungodly attack was oriented in extremist religious ideology; but there was an unmissable display of sexism as well. The terrorist ideology’s greatest fear would be a world where women had an upper hand, or even an equal one. To an ideology that views women only as tools for sexual satisfaction and necessary means of reproduction, women like Col. Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh are the worst nightmare.
Poetic justice isn’t it, for two women derived from their worst nightmare to be slapping the retaliation operation on their faces. How simple and composed Sofia Qureshi and Vyomika Singh are, having accomplished something so dangerous and significant, and presenting to us their bravado as if it was a piece of cake.
India is SO PROUD of Col. Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. May the news of their accomplishments inspire the women and men of this country. As small as it may be, I also want to write a word of appreciation and gratitude to the parents of these amazing women who made them what they are. People like them are holding this country together.
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