Sofiya Qureshi is a senior officer in the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

, currently holding the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. She is notable for being the first woman to lead an Indian contingent in a

United Nations peacekeeping Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role of the United Nations's Department of Peace Operations and an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is ...

mission and she gained national attention for her role in press conferences during the

2025 India–Pakistan conflict The 2025 India–Pakistan conflict was a brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan that began on 7 May 2025, after India launched missile strikes on Pakistan, in a military campaign codenamed Operation Sindoor. India said that the operat ...

Early life and education

Sofiya Qureshi was born in

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

to Mohammad Qureshi and Amina Qureshi. She earned a degree in biotechnology at the

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a public university on April 30, 1949 and was renamed after ...

Military education

Officers Training Academy The Officers Training Academy (OTA) is a training establishment of the Indian Army that trains officers for the Short Service Commission (SSC). The 49-week course at the OTA prepares graduates for all branches of the Army, except for the Army Me ...

, Chennai - 1999 *

Defence Services Staff College The Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) is a defence service training institution of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It trains officers of all three services of the Indian Armed Forces – (Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air ...

, Wellington – Master’s in Defence and Strategic Studies (2005–06) * National Defence College, New Delhi (2018) – Strategic cybersecurity

Military career

Commissioned in 1999 after graduating from the

into the Army Signal Corps, Qureshi served in counter-insurgency operations in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

and

North-East India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political administrative division of the country. It comprises eight states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, M ...

. In 2001, she helped develop the Army’s first mobile digital communication network. In 2016, as a colonel, she led 40 Indian troops during exercise Force 18—the first woman to lead an Indian training contingent.

Role in 2025 India–Pakistan conflict

Qureshi led press conferences along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri about Operation Sindoor.

Recognition and awards

* Global Peace Gandhi Award (2019) * First Provost Marshall in her unit

Personal life

She married Colonel Tajuddin Bagewadi in 2015 and together they have a son.

References

External links

Official Indian Army website

United Nations Peacekeeping

Women in Indian Armed Forces – Ministry of Defence
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qureshi, Sofiya Living people 1981 births People from Lucknow Indian Army officers Women in war in South Asia Indian women in war Recipients of the Sena Medal Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal IIT Kanpur alumni Defence Services Staff College alumni National Defence College, India alumni Military personnel from Uttar Pradesh