Details of Operation Sindoor amid the fighting in May last year were routinely revealed by Indian officers, whose strongly worded statements may still haunt Pak.
This was the day last year when the Indian Armed Forces woke up the nation to its upgrade to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by striking the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and POK under Operation Sindoor – an exercise that sparked curiosity to know the details that were later provided to the world by some of the military officials who became the faces of the action.
Details of the progress of Operation Sindur were provided to the public through press conferences routinely held by three women officers – Colonel Sophia Qureshi (Army), Wing Commander Vyumika Singh (IAF) and Commander Prerna Deosthali (Navy) – who received recognition as pioneering personnel of the Indian Armed Forces who became prominent faces in the 2025 retaliatory strike against terror camps.
Routine press briefings on Operation Sindoor were also held by Director General Rajeev Ghai, Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshal A K Bharti, and Vice Admiral A N Pramod, Director General of Naval Operations – who gained popularity for their no-holds-barred responses to media queries during the fighting.
Air Marshal Bharti said during one such briefing on Operation Sindoor when asked about casualties: “Our aim was not to inflict casualties, but if there are casualties, they should be counted. Our job is to hit the target, not to count body bags.”
While these officers took to the podium to brief the audience on Operation Sindoor during which several terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were neutralized, the success of the military exercise was attributed to the combined effort of the three forces and the bravery of several members of the armed forces.
Colonel Sofia Qureshi
In 2016, Colonel Qureshi was the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army contingent in a multinational military exercise. In Exercise Force 18, a massive military exercise involving ASEAN Plus countries, she led a 40-member contingent focused on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA).
Born in 1974 to a military family in Vadodara, Gujarat, Colonel Qureshi earned a master’s degree in biochemistry from Maharaja Sayajirao University in 1997. Her grandfather was a religious teacher in the army, a state government statement issued last year said.
She received her commission from Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, where she was known for her exceptional performance in tactical strategy and signal intelligence.
She is known for her stoic demeanor and precise communication style, especially during press conferences where she worked with another officer, Wing Commander Vyumika Singh of the Indian Air Force.
Wing Commander Vyumika Singh
Commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2004, Wing Commander Vyumika Singh is a highly skilled helicopter pilot in the Indian Air Force. Known as the ‘Sky Warrior’, it has accumulated more than 2,500 flight hours in Cheetah and Chetak helicopters across difficult terrain at high altitudes, according to bharat-rakshak.com.
“India is fully prepared to respond to any misadventure on the part of Pakistan. Operation Sindoor was sending a clear message: terrorism will not go unanswered,” Commander-in-Chief Singh said during one of its press briefings on the military exercise.
Wing Commander Vyumika Singh added: “India is fully prepared to respond to any adventure on the part of Pakistan. Operation Sindoor sends a clear message: terrorism will not go unanswered.”
Singh became the first member of her family to join the armed forces, according to a report in the Economic Times. Vyumika Singh followed her dream with focus and determination. She joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) at school, which gave her early exposure to military life. She later reportedly studied engineering to build a strong technical background.
Commander Prerna Deosthali
Commander Prerna Deosthali, an Indian Navy officer, was also joining Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh during the press conferences for Operation Sindoor. According to reports, she was commissioned to join the Indian Navy in 2009 and was given her permanent assignment in 2020.
Deosthalee was reportedly born in Mumbai in Maharashtra and obtained a postgraduate degree in psychology from St. Xavier’s College.
In 2023, Deosthali made history by becoming the first woman officer to command an Indian Navy warship.
Deosthalee has been selected as Commanding Officer of Waterjet FAC INS Trinkat in the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy.
She had received her appointment letter from Commander, Western Fleet, Admiral Praveen Nair.
Lt. Gen. Rajeev Ghai
Lieutenant General Rajeev Ghai was among the senior officials who briefed the media on the four-day military engagement with Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. Lieutenant General Ghai, the Army’s face during Operation Sindoor, was promoted last year to the post of Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) and served as Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) till October 2025. He was succeeded by Lieutenant General Manish Luthra.
He has also served as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of XV Corps (Chinar Corps) in the past.
Air Marshal AK Bharti
Air Marshal AK Bharti is a decorated officer of the Indian Air Force, currently serving as Deputy Chief of Air Staff. He was promoted from the position of Director General of Air Operations (DGAO).
He was commissioned into the Flying Branch of the Indian Air Force in 1987. He was promoted to the rank of Air Marshal in September 2023.
AK Bharti took over as Squadron Leader of the Sukhoi-30 MKI on 16 August 2005. The unit had recently received the advanced Phase III version of the aircraft, and AK Bharti was entrusted with the crucial task of making its weapon systems fully operational and developing appropriate tactics.
One of the most notable of the many statements made by Air Marshal AK Bharti on Operation Sindoor was his answer to a query about the Indian Armed Forces targeting the nuclear facility at Kairana Hills in Pakistan.
“Thanks for telling us that Kirana Hills has some nuclear facilities. We didn’t know about it. We didn’t hit Kirana Hills, whatever’s there.”
His remarks came amid speculation and chatter on social media alleging that India struck the Moshav Air Base in Sargodha, which is said to be linked to underground nuclear storage beneath the Kairana Hills, using loitering and penetrating munitions.
Vice Admiral N Pramod
Vice Admiral AN Pramod is a decorated officer of the Indian Navy who took over as Director General of Naval Operations (DGNO) in January 2024. He is an alumnus of the 38th Integrated Cadet Course, Naval Academy, Goa, and was commissioned into the Indian Navy in July 1990.
His important appointments include Fleet Operations Officer, Western Fleet, Commanding Naval Ships Abhay, Shardul and Satpura, Executive Officer Rajput, SCO Sujata and G. E. Kirpan, according to indiannavy.gov.in.
The three officers also held a press conference on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor. They said Operation Sindoor indicated that there was no safe haven for terrorism in Pakistan and the mission was just the beginning.
“Operation Sindoor was not the end, it was just the beginning,” said Lieutenant General Rajeev Ghai.
Air Marshal AK Bharti, then Director General of Air Operations, said Operation Sindoor reaffirmed the primacy of air power.
At the press conference on the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, Vice Admiral AN Pramod said that by striking terror centers in the heart of Pakistan using long-range precision weapons, India has effectively exposed Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail bluff.
