After a suspenseful wait lasting hours, Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman finally returned home from captivity in Pakistan on Friday, a major step towards defusing a near-war situation triggered by India’s retaliation over Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism.
Hoping to give a hero’s welcome to Wing Commander Varthaman, thousands of Indians gathered on the border carrying the Tricolour and garlands since morning. But as the day wore on and night fell, there was no sign of the pilot, who was captured on February 27 by Pakistan following a dogfight between the two air forces in which his MIG-21 was shot down.
He finally emerged at 9.10 pm (IST) at the Wagah checkpost on the Pakistani side, accompanied by Pakistani rangers, the Indian air attache posted in the High Commission in Islamabad. He was wearing civilian clothes—a dark jacket and khakhi trousers, walking proudly toward the gates that separated his captors’ country from his homeland.
Update: Indian Air Force pilot #AbhinandanVarthaman returns as hundreds of Indians cheer at the Wagah border crossing. He was captured by Pakistani forces when his plane went down across the Line of Control after an aerial dogfight on Wednesday. https://t.co/L76AMoL9tE
— Twitter Moments India (@MomentsIndia) March 1, 2019
“Wing Commander Abhinandan has just been handed over to us. He will be taken now for a detailed medical check-up. This check-up is mandatory as he had to eject from an airplane which would have put his entire body under stress,” Vice-Chief Marshal R G K Kapoor told reporters in a brief statement in Attari, near Amritstar, on the other side of Wagah.
Addressing a public rally in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Every Indian is proud of brave pilot Abhinandan.”
Welcome Home Wing Commander Abhinandan!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 1, 2019
The nation is proud of your exemplary courage.
Our armed forces are an inspiration for 130 crore Indians.
Vande Mataram!
Several political leaders, including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee welcomed the IAF hero back home.
Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir on February 14.
Amid mounting outrage, Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.
🇮🇳 Wing Cdr. Abhinandan, your dignity, poise and bravery made us all proud. Welcome back and much love. 🇮🇳
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 1, 2019
The next day, Pakistan retaliated with a large air formation, comprising 24 fighter jets, including F-16s.
Varthaman was in one of the eight MIG-21s that took on the invader and shot down an F-16, according to officials. During the dogfight, his plane was hit and he bailed out, landing in PoK, where he was taken into custody by the Pakistani Army.
On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan told a special joint sitting of Parliament that his government was releasing the pilot as a “peace gesture”. However, India has been maintaining that Pakistani decision is in consonance with the Geneva Conventions.
Welcome Home! The entire Nation is proud of Wing Commander Abhinandan.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) March 1, 2019
After the pilot’s release, the Pakistan Foreign Office described him as a Prisoner of War.
The Pakistan government was under tremendous international pressure to de-escalate the tensions with India and release the captured pilot.
As analysts painstakingly debated each nuance of India-Pakistan relations in TV studios, anchors went hoarse keeping up the constant commentary, and journalists looked for information on when and how he would be handed over to India. The government decided to keep it all under wraps.
Welcome home Wing Commander. It’s great to have you back.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 1, 2019
Patriotism was the mood of the day.
There was garba in Ahmedabad, dancing in Bangalore, a sand sculpture of the officer in Puri and ‘yagnas’ in several places.
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.
India’s happiness on return of Wing Commander Abhinandan is unprecedented. I salute the courage and resilience of Wg Commander Abhinandan.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) March 1, 2019
Welcome home, Wing Commander Abhinandan: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and several Union ministers including Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday welcomed Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman soon after he returned via Wagha border to India.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders took to Twitter to welcome him and hailed his courage and valour.
"Welcome Home Wing Commander Abhinandan! The nation is proud of your exemplary courage. Our armed forces are an inspiration for 130 crore Indians. Vande Mataram!" tweeted Modi.
Shah said: "Dear Wing Commander Abhinandan, entire nation is proud of your courage and valour. India is glad to have you back.
India’s happiness on return of Wing Commander Abhinandan is unprecedented. I salute the courage and resilience of Wg Commander Abhinandan.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) March 1, 2019
"May you continue to serve the nation and IAF with unparalleled passion and dedication. Best wishes for your bright future."
Indian Air Force (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.
"Welcome Home! The entire Nation is proud of Wing Commander Abhinandan," Rajnath Singh said.
"Proud of you Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The entire nation appreciates your valour and grit. You held your calm in the face of adversity. You are an inspiration to our youth. Salute. Vande Mataram. Jai Hind," Sitharaman said.
Union Minister Smriti Irani said: "Salute to India as Abhinandan returns to home."
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Ram Vilas Paswan and other leaders also expressed their happiness over his return.
