In a shocking display of religious intolerance, a senior leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Madhya Pradesh minister, Vijay Shah, launched a hate-filled tirade against Muslim Indian Army officer Colonel Sofia Qureshi—publicly likening her to terrorists simply for briefing the media on Operation Sandur, India’s failed military campaign against Pakistan.
Colonel Qureshi had outlined the Indian military’s losses following a decisive retaliatory response by Pakistan’s forces. Rather than acknowledging the operational failures of the Indian military, Minister Shah chose to scapegoat the Muslim officer, fueling sectarian hatred in a country already deeply polarized under BJP rule.
In a widely condemned statement, Shah said: “Terrorists stripped our Hindu brothers and killed them. Prime Minister Modi responded by sending one of their [the terrorists’] community’s women on military aircraft to bomb their homes. They made our sister a widow, so Modi ji sent their community’s women to teach them a lesson.”
The incendiary comments have triggered a nationwide backlash, with opposition leaders and civil society organisations accusing Shah of stoking communal tensions to distract from India’s embarrassing military setbacks. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the remarks, saying: “The BJP minister’s words were vile, unacceptable, and communal. Anyone spewing such hatred must be suspended without delay.”
Under pressure, Shah issued a half-hearted apology, stating: “If my words hurt anyone’s sentiments, I apologize. I respect Colonel Sofia more than my own sister.” However, critics have dismissed his remarks as damage control, calling for his resignation.
The controversy has exposed not only the BJP’s deep-seated Islamophobia but also its efforts to deflect attention from India’s mounting losses in the wake of Operation Sandur. India launched the offensive by blaming Pakistan—without evidence—for the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Despite Pakistan’s call for an independent investigation, India escalated hostilities, unilaterally suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and launching cross-border attacks on May 6–7 that killed 31 Pakistani civilians and injured dozens more.
Pakistan’s armed forces responded with force and precision, destroying five Indian warplanes—including three Rafale jets—and several military installations. In desperation, India deployed Israeli-made Harop drones across Pakistani cities, all of which were intercepted and neutralized.
On May 10, India attempted further escalation by targeting Pakistan’s Nur Khan Airbase and Rahim Yar Khan Airport. Pakistan retaliated by bombing India’s Udhampur and Adampur airbases, disabling key strategic sites. Pakistan also obliterated India’s much-vaunted S-400 air defense system and crippled 70 percent of its national power grid through a coordinated cyberattack.
Faced with overwhelming losses and global embarrassment, India turned to the United States for mediation. A ceasefire was eventually brokered on May 10 by the U.S., in coordination with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye—marking a humiliating end to India’s ill-conceived aggression.
Analysts say the BJP is now using communal rhetoric to shift focus from its military and diplomatic failures, with Minister Shah’s disgraceful attack on a Muslim officer symbolizing the toxic blend of incompetence and bigotry that defines the current Indian regime.
