Attari: The brave-heart Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was in Pakistan custody after his fighter jet crashed in PoK finally has been returned to India after waiting for long hour. He has been handed over to Indian security forces after completing official formalities and paper document.
IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, captured by Pakistanis two days ago after his MiG-21 crashed in Pakistani territory, returned to India on Friday night.
Dressed in a blue coat, grey trousers and white shirt, he was received by senior Border Security Force officers at Zero Line that marks the India-Pakistan land border.
Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman returned home from Pakistan on Friday to a hero’s welcome, two days after he was captured following a dogfight when his MiG 21 was shot down.
Pakistani officials handed over Varthaman to Indian officials, including from the IAF, at the Attari-Wagah Border.
However, the pilot was whisked away in a convoy by Indian officials away from the public glare.
According to IAF officials, he will be brought to Delhi from Amritsar in a special flight.
Varthaman was captured by Pakistani authorities on February 27 after an air combat between the air forces of the two countries, a day after New Delhi had conducted counter-terror operations in Pakistan’s Balakot.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing a special joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday announced his release as a “peace gesture”. However, India has been maintaining that Pakistani decision is in consonance with the Geneva Convention.
The Pakistan government was under tremendous international pressure to de-escalate the tensions with India and release the captured pilot.
Forty CRPF personnel were killed and many injured on February 14 in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.
Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “goodwill gesture” of releasing Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman turned out to be an ordeal of several hours on Friday.
Brave-heart IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman returns country:
While Khan made the announcement on Thursday that Wing Commander Abhinandan would be released today, the wait for the return of the IAF pilot kept getting longer and did not happen till 8.50 pm.
The Pakistani authorities got all the paper work completed to hand over the pilot to Indian High Commission officials, but the pilot’s return was awaited by hubndreds of Indian visitors who have thronged the border transit point.
There were reports that Abhinandan was kept at Batapur cantonment, located about 10 km from Wagah, where his medical and immigration formalities were being completed.
Scores of people, who had gathered at Attari to welcome the IAF pilot back, continued to stay put despite the delay, darkness and even the rain and cold weather.
Since Friday morning, it was expected that Abhinandan would be released by Pakistan anytime after noon.
The release time was pushed back several times and, for unexplained reasons, the return of the pilot kept getting longer.
Authorities in India – the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Border Security Force (BSF), Indian Air Force (IAF), or anyone else — had no idea why Pakistan was delaying the pilot’s return.
The Wing Commander was in Pakistani captivity since early on Wednesday.
Senior IAF officers, along with those from Army, BSF, Punjab Police and district authorities in Amritsar had arrived before 4 pm at the Attari joint check post complex.
There were reports that Abhinandan’s parents were also at Attari to welcome their son back.
The IAF pilot was earlier accompanied by officials of the Indian High Commission led by Group Captain J.D. Kurian. The handing over process was delayed by the Pakistan side for unexplained reasons.
Abhinandan was captured in Pakistan on Wednesday (Feb 27) after his MiG-21 Bison fighter jet was shot down during a dogfight near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Thursday that the captured IAF pilot will be freed as a “goodwill gesture” after New Delhi sought his unconditional and immediate release.
