Col Sofiya Qureshi left Ph.D, teaching career to join Army; patriotism runs in our blood: Family
Vadodara, May 7 (PTI): As Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh flanked Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday morning during the briefing about Operation Sindoor, creating a striking image, her family in Gujarat beamed with pride.
Col Sofiya, who hails from Vadodara city, had quit Ph.D and a teaching career to become an Army officer, they said. Her parents and brother Mohammad Sanjay Qureshi live in the Tandalja area of the city.
Talking to reporters at their home, Sanjay said Col Sofiya was on the verge of finishing her PhD when she decided to look beyond the classroom setting and don the olive-green uniform of the Indian Army.
Sanjay said his sister was inspired by their grandfather and father, as both had served in the Army.
“You can say that patriotism runs in our blood. After finishing school, Sofiya did BSc and then MSc in Biochemistry from MS University in Vadodara, as she wanted to become a professor,” Sanjay told reporters.
He was accompanied by his father Tajuddin Qureshi, mother Hanima and daughter Zara.
“My sister joined the varsity as an assistant lecturer while simultaneously pursuing Ph.D in the same subject as she wanted to become a professor. Meanwhile, she was selected in the Indian Army through the Short Service Commission (SSC) and decided to quit her Ph.D and teaching career to join the forces,” he said.
He said that the entire family is proud of her achievement.
Calling his sister a role model for Zara, Sanjay said his teenage daughter has also made up her mind to join the Army.
Col Sofiya’s father Tajuddin Qureshi said his family is concerned only about the country.
“I am proud of my daughter. My family has always followed the principle of ‘Vayam Rashtre Jagrayam’ (we will keep the nation awake and alive). We are Indian first, and Muslim afterwards. We are concerned only about our country,” he said.
During the briefing, Col Sofiya and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh flanked Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who delivered the opening statement from the government, hours after the Indian armed forces hit nine terror targets in Pakistan and PoK, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.
Qureshi and Singh shared the names and details of the sites targeted by missiles from 1 am to 1.30 am on the intervening night of May 6-7. The military strikes were carried out under Operation Sindoor, two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Later in the day, the Gujarat government said in a release that Col Sofiya did her masters in 1997 and then joined the Army’s Corps of Signals. Her husband is an officer in the Mechanised Infantry of the Indian Army, it said.
“In 2016, Col Sofiya achieved a historic feat as she became the first woman officer to lead an Indian military contingent abroad, becoming the only woman commander among the 18 countries participating in ‘Force 18’, a multinational military exercise involving ASEAN Plus countries,” said the release.
It added that she was deployed in Congo in 2006 during a six-year stint with the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
