Among the defence officials who briefed the media on “Operation Sindoor” on Wednesday, were two women officers- Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. Both women, senior officers in the Army and the Air Force, described the operational details of the military’s precision strikes on nine key terror training camps in Pakistan, an operation that was widely acknowledged as a befitting response to the deadly Pahalagam terror attack. The military operation was termed “Operation Sindoor” as a tribute to the women who lost their partners in the Pahalgam attack, when militants targeted the men among tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, killing 26 civilians. Along with the name, the choice of officers assigned to lead the briefing was also seen as a powerful tribute to the grieving women. Who are Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi?Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, an officer from the Indian Army’s Corps of Signals, is the first woman to lead an Indian Army training contingent at Force 18, one of the largest multinational military exercises ever conducted on Indian soil.Notably, Colonel Qureshi was the only woman commander among all other participating nations.Qureshi, who holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry, was also involved in the United Nations’ peacekeeping efforts and was part of the Indian mission in Congo in 2006.Wing Commander Vyomika Singh is a decorated helicopter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF). The name “Vyomika” reportedly mirrored her childhood dream of becoming a pilot.Singh joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC), pursued engineering and later joined the armed forces. She received a permanent commission in the IAF’s flying branch on December 18, 2019.With over 2,500 flying hours logged, Singh has operated helicopters such as the ‘Chetak’ and ‘Cheetah’ in some of India’s most challenging terrains, including high-altitude areas like Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.She has also played a key role in several rescue missions including one in Arunachal Pradesh in November 2020.India exercised right to dismantle terror hubs: Foreign Secretary Misri on Operation Sindoor
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