Chopper pilot & unit commander: Women officers at briefing wield years of experience

Two women officers — Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh — who took to the podium with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to address the media about the military strikes in Pakistan — have held significant operational roles during their careers, and their presence, officials clarified, was not symbolic.

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“These officers are not props to showcase women empowerment in the armed forces,” an official stated.

Col Qureshi, from the Corps of Signals, currently commands a Signals unit. Commissioned in 1999, the Vadodara-born officer was first decorated during Operation Parakram in 2002, following the Parliament attack. She was also recognised for flood relief operations in the North-East.

In 2006, she served as a UN Military Observer in Congo, where she was commended for reuniting a five-year-old girl with her family and received the Force Commander’s Commendation on UN Day. She has since held UN postings in Cambodia, Bangladesh and twice in South Africa, and has also trained UN peacekeepers.

Col Qureshi gained international attention in 2016 when she became the first and only woman officer to lead an Army contingent at the multi-national ‘Force 18’ military exercise hosted by India. She was also awarded a certificate of appreciation by the US Vice-Chief of Army Staff for her role in the Pacific Army Management Seminar in Delhi. Beyond uniformed service, she has conducted motivational workshops for youth, especially girls, in Kashmir and West Bengal.

Wing Commander Singh, commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2004, is a seasoned helicopter pilot with over 2,500 flying hours on Chetak and Cheetah helicopters. She has operated across terrains — from the high mountains of the North-East to the coastal stretches of Gujarat.

She has led multiple casualty evacuation missions in the Kashmir valley, especially while posted at a key airbase in northern India. In 2014, she participated in flood relief operations in Jammu & Kashmir. In 2020, she spearheaded a critical air evacuation mission in Arunachal Pradesh under extreme weather conditions.

In 2021, she was part of an all-women tri-services mountaineering expedition to Manirang (21,650 ft) and received the Chief of Air Staff Commendation that same year. She also holds the prestigious “Master Green” flying rating — the highest for IAF pilots — making her the first woman to receive it.