'Saw Muslim officer leading India's Op Sindoor briefing': Journo junks Bilawal Bhutto's anti-India propaganda

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief and former Pakistan foreign minister, on Wednesday made a rash claim that "Muslims were being demonised" in India after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. His comments came during a press conference at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York. 

Countering his claims about Muslims in India, a foreign journalist said that he has followed the military briefings of both India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor. The journalist pointed out that India's briefing on Operation Sindoor was headed by a Muslim Indian army official -- Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. 

"I have watched briefings on both sides and as far as I recall there were Muslim Indian military officers who are conducting the briefing on the Indian side," the journalist can be heard saying in the video.

Before the Director Generals of Military, Air, and Naval Operations briefed the nation on Operation Sindoor, the briefings were conducted by two senior female officers -- Colonel Sofiya Qureshi from the Indian Army's Corps of Signals and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, a helicopter pilot with the Indian Air Force -- alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.  

India undertook Operation Sindoor, a significant cross-border precision strike targeting terror camps in Pakistan and the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, following the tragic deaths of 26 civilians in Pahalgam. 

About Colonel Sofiya Qureshi

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi from the Indian Army's Corps of Signals is the first lady officer to ever lead an Army contingent as part of a multi-national exercise in March 2016. The exercise, dubbed Exercise Force 18, was the largest foreign military exercise ever hosted by India. 

For her leadership in Exercise Force 18, she was awarded the Chief of Army Staff Plaque of Honour. 

She also served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Congo in 2006 as a military observer. As a military observer in Congo, she put her life at risk in war-torn, militia-controlled zones and played a key role in reuniting a 5-year-old girl with her parents, earning the admiration of the Congolese women.

She was felicitated on UN Day with the Force Commander Commendation. She has also served on the UN training team of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, UN Women, and the Centre for UN Peacekeeping.

The trailblazing officer has also represented India at international platforms in South Africa, Cambodia, and Bangladesh. Colonel Qureshi is a third-generation Army officer; her father and grandfather also served in the Indian Army. 

At present, she is an officer in the Corps of Signals and commands an elite unit. 

About Wing Commander Vyomika Singh 

From a young age, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh aspired to fly, inspired by her name, Vyomika, meaning "daughter of the sky." Her journey to the IAF began with joining the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and pursuing engineering, ultimately becoming the first member of her family to join the armed forces.

She secured a permanent commission in the IAF's flying branch as a helicopter pilot on 18 December 2019. With over 2,500 flying hours, Singh has operated helicopters such as the Chetak and Cheetah in challenging terrains. Her notable missions include operating in high-altitude sectors of Jammu and Kashmir and performing rescue operations in Arunachal Pradesh under extreme conditions in 2020.

In 2021, Singh participated in an all-women tri-services mountaineering expedition to Mount Manirang, demonstrating her versatility and leadership.