New Delhi: The Indian government appointed woman Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi to lead the international briefing on Operation Sindoor, a high-impact counterterrorism strike conducted deep inside Pakistani territory.
The choice of a senior woman officer to speak on behalf of the tri-services operation sent a strong message, not just about India’s military capability, but also about its evolving leadership in strategic communication, said an analyst.
Colonel Qureshi was flanked by another woman officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force, at the press briefing on Operation Sindoor.
And there was Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, all of whom presented detailed information about the surgical strikes, which targeted nine terror infrastructure sites up to 100 km inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Operation Sindoor, executed by India’s Army, Air Force and Navy, was launched in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, where 26 civilians, including a foreign national, were brutally killed.
Targets linked to dreaded terrorists Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar
In her address, Colonel Qureshi revealed that strategic terror hubs in Muzaffarabad, Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sialkot and Kotli were destroyed with precision air and ground strikes.
These locations have long been associated with the top leadership of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) — notably Hafiz Saeed’s base in Muridke and Masood Azhar’s facility in Bahawalpur.
“These were not just training camps, but fully operational launch pads used to infiltrate militants into Jammu and Kashmir,” Colonel Qureshi stated. “Intelligence inputs were verified through multiple sources to ensure accuracy. The strikes were carried out in a way that avoided civilian casualties entirely.”
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh provided insights into the precision air sorties, while Vikram Misri contextualized the attack within the larger framework of cross-border terrorism.
“This was a well-calculated, proportionate response to an unprovoked massacre,” Misri said.
Powerful image on global stage
The decision to have Colonel Qureshi lead the briefing signals India’s intent to project clarity and confidence on the global stage.
Her measured, authoritative presentation was widely seen as a strategic counter to Pakistan’s routine denial of terror links, said an analyst.
“India stands for peace, but not at the cost of its people’s lives,” she emphasised. “Through Operation Sindoor, we have sent an unambiguous message to terror sponsors: your actions will have consequences.”
The Indian government has also updated the United Nations Security Council and key global allies with intelligence dossiers on the operation and the groups involved, particularly The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack and is known to operate as a proxy for Lashkar-e-Toiba.
TNR News Network
