Belagavi, 8 May

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who briefed the national media at Delhi about ‘Operation Sindoor’ has a strong connection with Karnataka as her husband, Tajuddin Bagewadi, is from Konnur in Belagavi.

Sofiya hails from Vadodara in Gujarat and is serving as a Colonel in Jammu and Kashmir. Tajuddin holds the same post in Jhansi.

Her father-in-law, Goussab Bagewadi, told reporters that Tajuddin and Sofiya married in 2015. It was love-cum-arranged marriage conducted in Konnur. She also comes from a defence family; her father Taj Mohammed Quereshi participated in Bangladesh liberation war and her grandfather was also in the Army. Sofiya joined the Indian Army in 1999 during Kargil war. 

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi's father-in-law Goussab Bagewadi

"Our entire family, relatives, and friends are overwhelmed after seeing Sofiya briefing," Goussab Bagewadi said.

He said that Qureshi used to visit Konnuru once a year, mainly during Ramadan. However, she didn’t this year, as she was planning to come for Bakrid. Tajuddin, on the other hand, used to visit twice in a year.

She prefers Vijayapura style jawar roti and nati koli dishes when she comes, he added.

After the briefing, their neighbours flocked to their house to congratulate them. Goussab said his family’s phones haven't stopped ringing.

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi was lauded in a 2020 Supreme Court ruling in favour of Permanent Commissions to women officers in the Army. In the judgement, the bench said that absolute exclusion of women from all positions, except staff assignments, in the Army was indefensible and their blanket non-consideration for command appointments without any justification cannot be sustained in law. "Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi 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," the apex court had said.