Last Updated:May 14, 2025, 05:15 IST

Nimrat Kaur says Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wg Cdr Vyomika Singh proved women being in the forefront is ‘no longer a wish for the future’ and they set a precedent before the world.

The press briefing by Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh following Operation Sindoor grabbed a lot of attention. In the presence of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the women officers were seen sharing key details of the operation, which targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack on Indian tourists on April 22. Qureshi and Singh, who led the conversation, won praises from all quarters, including the film industry.

Kareena Kapoor Khan, Katrina Kaif, Raveena Tandon and Varun Dhawan, among others, took to social media and hailed the officers, celebrating their courage. Now, in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Nimrat Kaur, who has been rather vocal about her support for the Government of India and the Indian Armed Forces, expresses her pride on seeing two women headlining a press briefing. For her, it was also a monumental moment as it depicted the ‘secular’ nature of the country.

Talking about how the imagery set a precedent for the world to see, Kaur says, “It’s something which is so important as messaging for a country that’s so secular and so dynamic with its approach to women being in the forefront. I feel like it’s no longer a wish for the future. We see it in our cabinet ministry, political ranks and the army. There couldn’t have been a better message to the whole world and to everyone than the move to put these wonderful and strong women in the forefront leading the way for its entire operation.”

For Kaur, Operation Sindoor along with Qureshi and Singh addressing was also the most perfect retaliation against cross-border terrorism. “For the deviousness that the Pahalgam attack stood for, everything that had to be said as a counter to what happened there, it’s just the most sure-shot, efficient and effective way of letting people know what India is as a country. There couldn’t have been a better visual than two women in uniforms leading the way for us. I loved it,” she remarks.

Kaur’s father, Major Bhupender Singh, was an Indian Army officer, who was abducted and later killed by Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorists in Kashmir in 1994. For his valour, he was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra. So, did she also harbour dreams of joining the armed forces before becoming an actor?

“Yes, I used to watch my father get ready for work – the way his ranks would come on, the shining shoes would be put on and just him putting himself together as Major Bhupender Singh. For me, it was like a fantasy visual. I used to want to be him. I used to want to put on that uniform. I had all kinds of dreams to be in the army, very much so, until I realised how difficult it is and what it actually takes. And then it was out of the window (laughs). I was grateful when I got to play one in The Test Case,” says Kaur.

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