The two women front the attack: “Historical”

Pakistan

The women who are the public face of “Operation Sindoor”

Ebba Thornéus

Updated 20.21 | Published 17.39

Early on Wednesday morning, Indian missiles were fired at Pakistani targets.

At the forefront of the attack are two female soldiers.

Something that is described as historic.

Quick version

• India fired missiles at Pakistani targets in response to a terrorist attack in Kashmir, which resulted in several deaths and injuries.
• Two female soldiers, Lieutenant Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Flotilla Commander Vyomika Singh, front the Indian operation, which several media outlets describe as historic.
• Pakistan has threatened a “massive response” and world leaders are calling for restraint to prevent the conflict from escalating.

There is a frosty atmosphere between the superpowers Indien and Pakistan.

On Wednesday morning, India's response to the terrorist attack in Kashmir, where 26 people died, came.

Several missiles were fired at Pakistani targets and at least eight people were killed and several others were injured in "Operation Sindoor". 

Sofiya Qureshi on the left and Vyomika Singh on the right of Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri at the press conference after the attack last night. Photo: Manish Swarup / AP

Immediately afterwards, the Indian military held a press conference where they explained the attack.

"It was carried out to provide justice to the victims of the terrorist attack and their families," explained Lieutenant Colonel Sofiya Qureshi from the Indian Army's Signal Corps, adding that the operation had been "successful".

She was also accompanied by the commander of the Indian Air Force, Vyomika Singh, and the country's foreign minister, Vikram Misri.

"Historic"

The fact that two women are leading such a large military operation is described by several Indian media outlets as historic.

According to India Today, the choice of the two women is "a testament to how women are now playing key roles in security, strategy and communication at the highest level" and that "their leadership highlights the growing role of women in the armed forces".

However, the two women are far from pigeons in this context.

Lieutenant Colonel and biochemist Sofiya Qureshi has a solid military background.

According to the Times of India, she has served in the military for three decades and has been recognized for "her uncompromising attitude and fearless aspirations".

She has also participated in UN peacekeeping operations for several years, including in Congo, and in 2016 became the first female officer to lead a military ground force in a multinational military exercise.4

             

Sofiya Qureshi is known for her “uncompromising attitude and fearless aspirations”. Photo:          Manish Swarup / AP      

When asked afterwards how she felt, she replied:

“I feel proud, of course”.

She also urged the country’s young women to “join the army” if they want a “meaningful and challenging career”.

Squadron Leader and engineer Vyomika Singh, whose first name means “he who lives in the sky”, has in turn served in several high-risk flying operations and is said to be a respected name in the Indian Air Force.

In 2021, she was recognized, among other things, when she led an important rescue operation in the state of Arunachal Pradesh through severe weather and at high altitudes.

Promises a “massive response”

According to India Today, Singh, who became a flotilla commander in 2017, has “an impeccable track record in helicopter flying” and has been awarded several awards.

Vyomika Singh, like Sofiya Qureshi, is described as a pioneer for women in the Indian military.

The world is now holding its breath as the ongoing conflict between the two nuclear powers risks developing into a full-scale war.

The choice of the two women is described in Indian media as “proof of how women are now playing key roles in security, strategy and communication at the highest level”. Photo: Manish Swarup / AP

Several world leaders, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres and US President Donald Trump, have urged both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint in order to prevent the conflict from escalating further

This comes as Pakistan, in turn, has promised a “massive response” to Wednesday morning’s attack.

– Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war from India and a forceful response it will be, said the country’s Prime Minister Shebbaz Sharif.

The leaders of the two countries will hold emergency meetings on Wednesday.

After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India struck Pakistan in several places.