The family of Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who came into limelight with her regular media briefings on Operation Sindoor, attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Vadodara on Monday morning.

Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, was accorded a grand welcome at the airport upon his arrival at 10 am. During his 1-km roadshow, people gathered on both sides of the route to congratulate him for the success of India's 'Operation Sindoor' against Pakistan.

"We felt good meeting PM Modi. He has done a lot for women's empowerment,” Colonel Qureshi's twin sister Shyna Sunsara told reporters.

“Sofia is my twin sister. When your sister does something for the country, it inspires not only me but others as well. She is no longer just my sister but the country's sister as well," she said.Colonel Qureshi of the Corps of Signals and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force were the two women officers chosen by the government to brief the media about India’s military operation against terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occcupied Kashmir.

India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam attack in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were shot dead by terrorists in the scenic valley in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.

Colonel Qureshi, a 1999 commissioned officer, has served the Indian Army for over three decades. She created history in 2016 by becoming the first woman officer to lead a training contingent of the Indian Army at Force 18, an ASEAN Plus multinational field training exercise. In 2006, she represented India in the Congo peacekeeping mission.

Her husband Tajuddin Bagewadi is also a serving officer of the Indian Army.