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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
ALSO READ: Cong candidate who moved Kerala HC for name reinstatement in voter list, wins
Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
