Col Sofiya Qureshi studied in MP govt school from Class 1 to 3

Chhatarpur (MP), May 8 (PTI) Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, one of the two women officers who briefed the media on Operation Sindoor, studied in a government school in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh from Class 1 to 3, and was a bright student, her cousin said.

Colonel Qureshi, whose grandfather and father served in the Indian Army, was admitted to the government school in Nowgong in Chhatarpur in 1981 and studied there till Class 3, her aunt's son Abid Qureshi told reporters on Thursday.

She came to the spotlight with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of India Air Force when she briefed the media in Hindi about the Indian armed forces' Operation Sindoor on Wednesday. The decision to have the two women officers lead the government briefing was widely appreciated.

Abid said his cousin sister was very intelligent and bright in studies from childhood. "After becoming Colonel, she visited Nowgong a couple of times when she was posted in Babina near Jhansi," he said.

"Sofiya still has a deep connection with Nowgong. That's why on January 11, the foundation day of Nowgong, Colonel Sophia always sends her heartfelt greetings," he added.

Her family owns farm land in Hakimpura and Chitrai villages near Khajuraho in the state.

"Currently, the house we live in Rangrez locality of Nowgong, was given by Sofiya's father Taj Mohd Qureshi, who took part in the 1971 war, to his sister and our mother Ballo Apa," he recalled.

Colonel Qureshi's grandfather Mohammad Hussain Qureshi was also in the army, he said.

"When the military college of Nowgong was shifted to Pune, the family also moved there. It was in Pune that Colonel Qureshi's father joined the army and served as Subedar Major. Both Sofiya and her sister Saina were born in Pune," Abid said.

Later, Sofiya and Saina moved to Nowgong with their grandparents and mother and joined the government school in 1981, he said.

After her father's transfer to Ranchi, the family moved there. Subsequently, they moved to Vadodara after another transfer, where her father eventually retired and settled with family, according to him.

This is not the first time that Colonel Qureshi has earned praise. In 2020, the Supreme Court had also acknowledged her achievements.

In the February 17, 2020 judgement, in which it ruled in favour of granting Permanent Commission (PC) to women officers in the Indian Army, the top court said, "Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi (Army Signal Corps) is the first woman to lead an Indian Army contingent at a multi-national military exercise named 'Exercise Force 18', which is the largest ever foreign military exercise hosted by India." "She has served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Congo in 2006, where she, along with others, was in charge of monitoring ceasefires in those countries and aiding in humanitarian activities. Her job included ensuring peace in the conflict affected areas," it had said. PTI COR LAL NP