After a delay of five hours, Wing Commander was finally handed over to India by Pakistan, at 9:25 p.m. on Friday. Millions of people heaved a huge sigh of relief, as the delegation of officials of the Indian Air Force, received, the pilot, amid high security, at the Attari Border. According to the sources, the time of his return was changed twice by Pakistan, and “procedural delays” and “documentation problems” were cited as the reason for the hold-up.
He was taken away in a convoy, as soon as he reached, away from the media frenzy. He is as of now en-route Delhi for a debriefing and a medical checkup.
“Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has been handed over to us. He has been released as per the standard operating procedures. He will be taken for a detailed medical check-up because he has ejected from an aircraft which puts a strain on the body. The IAF is happy to have him back,” Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor told the media.
A large crowd converged at the Wagah border, to witness the epic homecoming of the Wing Commander, two days after he was captured by Pakistan during an intense aerial confrontation. Varthaman’s Mig 21 was shot down across the border when he engaged in aerial combat with Pakistan’s F16, on February 27, 2019. He swallowed a quarter of his secret documents and dumped other papers in a pond, before being captured in Pakistan.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, released the IAF pilot as a gesture of peace, amid escalating tensions between the two countries. The Indian Government rejected Khan’s call for dialogue on February 28, and strongly demanded the immediate return of the captured pilot.
The situations at the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir started worsening after Indian fighters jets bombed the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps near Balakot in Pakistan in the early hours of Tuesday. The air strike came two weeks after the suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, killing more than 40 personnel, on February 14, 2019. JeM claimed the responsibility of the attack.