Sania Mirza Salutes Women Officers Who Led Operation Sindoor Briefing

Former Indian tennis player Sania Mirza recently posted a powerful message on social media following two women officers, Major Kumar and Major Shobha Pall, standing on the same platform during a press conference for India's successful operation of 'Operation Sindoor.' The operation was carried out by the Indian Army and Air Force with the intent of striking terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The briefing was spearheaded by Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who stood shoulder to shoulder Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday morning to update the nation on the operation's progress.

Mirza, a six-time Grand Slam champion tennis ace, credited the historic win, attributing the efforts of the two women officers of different religion. She retweeted a tweet by reporter Faye D'Souza detailing how much she loved seeing the picture of the two women officers in uniform. D'Souza tweeted in her message, "The messaging in this very powerful photo perfectly captures who we are as a nation." India's widely acclaimed woman sports player, Mirza, agreed with her and admired Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh for being bold and confident leaders.

Operation Sindoor was a counterattack to a deadly terror strike carried out on April 22 in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir. Terror attack by Pakistan-based terror groups killed 26 individuals and injured several others. As a retaliation, the Indian government launched a very well-planned operation whose aim was the elimination of terror camps which had been operating since decades in the region of Pakistan and the disputed regions of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

It was informed at the press conference by Colonel Qureshi that the operation is a significant shift in the way India is dealing with terrorism. She also added that Pakistan has been building terror infrastructure like recruitment points, training camps, and launch pads in places like PoJK and in other regions of Pakistan for the last 30 years. All of these have been used to conduct multiple attacks inside Indian territory. The objective of Operation Sindoor was to target these complexes and disband the terror network so that the next attempts to target India would be thwarted.

The strike was well coordinated and executed to perfection with missile strikes being launched at nine strategic locations in Pakistan as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These regions had also long been suspected of being hotbeds of terror activity, particularly by groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which have also been behind various high-profile terrorist attacks in India over the years. Some of the top targets from among these regions included Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, and Chakwal.

Five of the targets were located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while four were on mainland Pakistan. Bahawalpur, actually, has been a notorious hub of JeM, and Muzaffarabad and Bhimber were also hit by Indian intelligence agencies as main points for penetration into Kashmir. The air and ground-to-ground missiles struck these camps, killing over 70 terrorists and injuring over 60 others. The destruction of such terror camps was considered a major setback to the activities of these terror groups.

Sania Mirza's support of the briefing and the input of the women officers is a testament to the power of representation and leadership, especially in times of national importance. Her recognition of the valor of Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh points to how women remain at the center of building the future of India's defense and security. This is also a time for a broader transformation of the country's policy for countering terrorism and national security, with women leading much of the service.

With Operation Sindoor, India not only reacted to the terror attack but also made it clear to the world about its will to eradicate terrorism and safeguard its people. The successful raids are viewed as a significant step towards halting the activities of terror groups that have been the cause of the current unrest in the area. In a firm decision, the Indian government has asserted that it is serious about addressing these issues head-on, with both the men and women of the army who are ready to take charge and set the example.