Operation Sindoor India : Colonel Sofia Quraishi, a distinguished officer in the Indian Army, was one of the two women who addressed the press following India’s decisive military operation, Operation Sindoor, conducted on Wednesday. A senior officer from the Corps of Signals, Col Quraishi has had a decorated career since joining the army in 1999.
Coming from a family with a proud military legacy—her grandfather served as a religious teacher in the Indian Army—Col Quraishi was born in 1974 in Vadodara, Gujarat. She holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from Maharaja Sayajirao University, completed in 1997. She is currently serving in the Mechanised Infantry, alongside her husband, who is also an army officer in the same corps.
Col Quraishi came into the national spotlight in 2016 when she became the first Indian woman officer to lead an Indian military contingent at a multinational exercise. She was also the only woman commander among 18 participating nations at the ASEAN Plus Multinational Military Exercise ‘Force 18’.
During the media briefing on Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, Col Quraishi explained that the strike occurred between 1:05 AM and 1:30 AM. The operation targeted nine terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), selected based on credible intelligence and their links to cross-border terrorism.
Following an initial statement by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Col Quraishi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh elaborated on how the mission was planned and executed with precision.
Col Quraishi’s military contributions span beyond battlefield strategy. She was pivotal during Operation Parakram, the Indian military mobilisation along the Punjab border after the 2001 Parliament attack. For her service, she received a Commendation Card from the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C).
She has also been actively involved in peacekeeping operations. As part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces, Col Quraishi served a six-year tenure in the conflict-torn regions of Congo starting in 2006. “Efforts to bring peace to conflict zones have been a moment of pride for me,” she stated.
Her leadership was further acknowledged during flood relief operations in Northeast India, where she played a critical role in managing emergency communications, earning a commendation from the Signal Officer-in-Chief (SO-in-C).
