When Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army contingent in a multinational military exercise, briefed the media on Operation Sindoor Wednesday morning, a couple living in a small village in Karnataka’s Belagavi district had reasons to cheer.
Ghouse Bagewadi and his wife were overwhelmed with joy and pride as they watched their daughter-in-law Col Sofiya Qureshi on television from their home in the Konnur village of the Gokak taluk. She married their son Major Tajuddin Qureshi of the Mechanised Infantry in 2015. She was one of two women the government chose to narrate the details of Operation Sindoor; the other was Wing Commander Vyomika Singh from the Indian Air Force.
“I was glued to the television. That was a proud moment for our family and nation. I did not move an inch,” said Bagewadi.
His wife was also emotional, but she assumed that her daughter-in-law was at the war front and expressed fear for her safety.
While Sofiya and Tajuddin were expected to visit their village for Ramzan, they skipped this time due to work. “My wife and I did not study after elementary school. But when you see your son and daughter-in-law serving the country at that level, what more can I ask for?” Bagewadi said.
“I spoke to my son Tajuddin, and he said everything was going well, and Sofiya probably was occupied. From Wednesday morning, I have had no other job but to attend phone calls from friends and family members after she appeared on television,” Bagewadi added.
In 2016, then a 35-year-old Lieutenant Colonel, Sofiya led a 40-member contingent in Exercise FORCE 18 that involved ASEAN Plus countries – the largest ground forces exercise ever conducted on Indian soil at the time.
She also served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Congo in 2006 and has been associated with peacekeeping operations for over six years.
Earlier, her twin sister Shyna Sunsara said Col Sofiya Qureshi did not indicate about the media briefing even when they had talked over the phone just a day prior to it.
“We spoke yesterday and as a duty-bound Army officer that she is, she did not mention a word about what was to come this morning. It was a surprise for all of us, but a proud moment to see Sofiya at this position. She always had the passion to do something for the country,” Shyna Sunsara said.