A minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vijay Shah, is receiving backlash on social media after he called Indian Army’s Colonel Sofia Qureshi, the ‘sister of the same community of terrorists’.
Sofia Qureshi gained traction during the press briefings on Operation Sindoor to the Indian media and public. India initiated aerial strikes on Pakistan under ‘Operation Sindoor’-military operation allegedly aimed at hunting down the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack in IIOJK.
His statements triggered an outburst of criticism from the Indian public, forcing the minister to rescind his statements. The BJP minister issued an apology and said that if anyone is hurt by his statement, he is ready to apologise ten times, adding that he respects Colonel Qureshi more than his sister, Hindustan Times reported.
Opposition leaders from Congress have slammed Minister Shah for fanning communal tensions during the India-Pakistan conflict.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said: “A minister of the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh has made a very derogatory, shameful and cheap remark about our brave daughter Colonel Sofia Qureshi.”
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“The terrorists of Pahalgam wanted to divide the country, but the country was united during the entire ‘Operation Sindoor’ to give a befitting reply to the terrorists,” Kharge posted on X.
Indians are expressing solidarity with Colonel Sofia Qureshi on social media. She, along with Vyomika Singh, appeared for numerous press briefings during the four-day escalation between India and Pakistan.
Not only her, but belligerent Indians, irked with the news of the ceasefire, also targeted Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his family online.