Thank you dear subscribers, we are overwhelmed with your response.
Your Turn is a unique section from ThePrint featuring points of view from its subscribers. If you are a subscriber, have a point of view, please send it to us. If not, do subscribe here: https://theprint.in/
On May 7, 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor, a precisely calibrated strike that targeted and dismantled terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This mission was India’s uncompromising response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. But Operation Sindoor was more than a military maneuver—it was a bold redefinition of what modern India stands for.
At its forefront were two remarkable officers: Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. Both women. Both decorated officers. Both Indian. One Muslim, the other Hindu. Together, they delivered a strike that was not just physical but symbolic—hitting at the heart of Pakistan’s ideological narrative.
Colonel Qureshi, a third-generation Army officer from a Muslim family in Vadodara, served six years in UN peacekeeping missions and earned multiple distinctions. Her decision to discard the hijab was personal, but on this mission, it became emblematic of a larger conviction: that identity in India is defined not by religion, but by commitment to the nation.
Wing Commander Singh, from a Hindu family in Lucknow, is the first in her family to join the armed forces. A helicopter pilot with operations in J&K and the Northeast under her belt, she represents the quiet grit of countless Indian women stepping into roles once considered out of reach.
Message to Pakistan—and the world
India is united, unapologetic, and indivisible.
When a Muslim woman and a Hindu woman lead a combat operation deep into Pakistan, it tears down the tired narrative Pakistan has long tried to promote: that India is anti-Muslim or a nation in conflict with itself. Colonel Qureshi, in uniform, on the front lines, is the living refutation of that propaganda.
India’s women are not behind—they lead from the front.
While parts of Pakistan debate whether women can travel alone or speak in public, India’s response to terror was led by two women flying combat missions. This wasn’t just a military strike—it was an ideological blow to a patriarchal and repressive framework disguised as cultural purity.
Operation Sindoor was more than retaliation—it was narrative warfare.
By selecting two women from diverse faiths as the mission’s leading faces, India didn’t just target physical terror hubs. It struck the foundation of Pakistan’s ideological worldview: a worldview that paints India as broken, divided, and morally inferior.
Modi’s Strategic Messaging
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team displayed strategic brilliance. This wasn’t just a counterattack—it was a masterclass in psychological warfare. It redefined what modern warfare looks like: not just guns and boots, but values, optics, and symbolism.
Operation Sindoor told the world that New India chooses its own battlefield, defines its own message, and holds the moral high ground. It said, loudly and clearly: our diversity is our strength, our daughters are our warriors, and our unity is unshakable.
India’s Women: The Future Is Yours
Operation Sindoor was a moment of pride—but also a moment of awakening. For young Indian girls, especially those from conservative or marginalised communities, this was a clarion call. If Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh could lead a mission into enemy territory, then there is no dream too ambitious.
India’s Muslim daughters can fly helicopters, command troop, lead missions. And they can do so proudly, as Indians—equal, capable, and brave.
To every Indian parent, the clear message is to invest in their daughters, support their education, nurture their ambition, and respect their choices. A girl with a book in her hand today could wear the stars of a Colonel or the wings of a pilot tomorrow.
This is not just a moral or social imperative. It is a national imperative. Operation Sindoor proves that India’s daughters, when empowered, can defend borders, execute missions, and inspire nations.
Rewriting History
In many ways, Operation Sindoor has already rewritten history. It destroyed terror hubs and disrupted militant infrastructure. But perhaps more importantly, it also dismantled stereotypes, redrew the boundaries of gender roles, and reshaped the global perception of India.
Pakistan, obsessed with religious orthodoxy and stuck in its narrative of a divided India, simply has no answer to the image of a hijab-free Muslim woman officer leading a mission with her Hindu sister-in-arms. No missile or drone could have delivered a stronger message.
This wasn’t just a military success. It was a cultural milestone. A moment when India showed the world what it truly means to be democratic, diverse, and determined.
Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh didn’t just avenge an attack. They shattered ceilings. They broke myths. They became icons of a New India—confident, inclusive, and unstoppable.
Mohan Murti, FICA, Advocate & International Industry Arbitrator, Member, Supervisory Board, Innoplexus AG, Former Managing Director-Europe, Reliance Industries Ltsd. Germany
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.