Colonel Sophia Qureshi, a decorated officer of the Army’s Corps of Signals,responsible for military communications and information systems.
She holds the distinction of being the first woman officer to command an Indian Army contingent in a multinational military exercise. In 2016, she led the Indian team at ‘Exercise Force 18’, which was India’s largest-hosted foreign military drill. Remarkably, she was the only female commander among 18 participating contingents.She was the only Woman officer contingent Commander among all the ASEAN Plus contingents. The exercise held was in Pune, and 18 ASEAN Plus countries, including China, the USA, Russia, Japan, and South Korea, had participated in it. The exercise involved 18 countries and focused on Peacekeeping Operations and Humanitarian Mine Action.
Military service runs in her blood as she comes from an Army background. Her grandfather served in the forces and she is married to an Army officer from the Mechanised Infantry. She hails from Gujarat, holds a postgraduate degree in biochemistry, and brings academic strength to her military acumen.
Speaking about her, then Army Commander of Southern Command, Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat, once said that her selection was based on her capabilities and leadership qualities rather than her gender.
Sofiya Qureshi had served in the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Congo in 2006 and had been associated with peacekeeping operations for over six years.
(Source based)
