As tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, a video showing a woman pilot boarding a fighter jet is circulating on social media. The post claims that the woman is Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who is allegedly leading Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory mission.
The caption with the video read: “Desh ki Beti Safiya Qureshi led the Operation Sindoor 🇮🇳🇮🇳. #so…”
The above post can be seen here (archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral video and found the claim to be misleading.
Who is Colonel Sofiya Qureshi?
She is an officer from the Indian Army’s Corps of Signals, not the Indian Air Force. She made history by becoming the first woman to lead an Indian Army training contingent at Exercise Force 18, a multinational military exercise under the ASEAN Plus framework. She is not a fighter pilot.
Using Reverse Image Search on keyframes from the viral clip, we traced the same video back to a YouTube upload dated September 20, 2021.
The video’s description identifies the woman as Major Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, a U.S. Air Force pilot performing an F-35A Lightning II demonstration as part of the Air Combat Command.
In conclusion, the viral video does not show Col. Sofiya Qureshi, nor does it have any link to Operation Sindoor. It features a US Air Force pilot from 2021. The claim is misleading.
