BJP Minister Calls Colonel Sofia Qureshi 'Sister of Pahalgam Terrorists' for Being Muslim

BJP minister Vijay Shah sparked controversy with his remarks about Colonel Sofia Qureshi, a Muslim officer who briefed the media on Operation Sindoor. Shah claimed Prime Minister Modi had deliberately sent “a sister from their community” — referring to Muslims — to symbolically humiliate the enemy, linking her religion to terrorists from Pahalgam. His comments were widely condemned across political lines. Congress leaders, including Jitu Patwari and Mallikarjun Kharge, criticized the statement as vulgar, misogynistic, and deeply communal, demanding Vijay Shah’s immediate dismissal from his ministerial post.