Abhinandan Return LIVE: BSF Cancels Flag-Lowering Ceremony at Wagah-Attari Border Before Wing Commander's Return

The Wagah border will be out of bounds for the public today to ease the pilot's hand over to Indian authorities.

Deputy Commissioner Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon, Amritsar: The Beating the Retreat ceremony (at Attari-Wagah Border) will not be held today. Senior team of the Indian Air Force will receive Wing Commander #AbhinandanVarthaman. pic.twitter.com/n40CcJX7H6

— ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2019

Introspecting over the similarities between his situation and Abhinandan's, IAF pilot Nachiket said, "Kargil was a limited offensive hostility, whereas this was a case where an aerial reaction stemmed from the need to carry out anti-terror operations."

Wagah Cleared for Pilot's Release | Civilians are being turned back from the Wagah border ahead of the IAF Wing Commanders release from Pakistan. Sources say the Wagah ceremony will be conducted without public viewing to avoid tensions.

Petition Against Pilot's Release in Pakistan Court​ | A Pakistani citizen on Friday filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court to stop the imminent release of the captured Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinanadan Varthaman, saying he committed a crime against the country and should be put on trial here. The court dismissed the petition for hearing. 

Air Travel Request Denied | India's request to Islamabad that it wants IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman to be sent back via aerial route and not through the Wagah land border, was denied by Pakistan. Pakistan communicated to India that he will be only returned through the Attari-Wagah border.

Sushma Swaraj's Humanitarian Appeal | "If we want to save humanity, we must tell the states who provide shelter and funding to terrorists, to dismantle the infrastructure of the terrorist camps and stop providing shelter and funding to the terror organisations based in that country," new agency ANI reported Sushma Swaraj saying at the OIC.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who yesterday offered to receive Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman when he returns, won't be going to Wagah to receive the Indian Air Force pilot as he has not heard from the Centre. The chief minister tweeted the Prime Minister offering to receive him.

Collective Action Against Terrorism Raised at OIC​ | Sushma Swaraj in her OIC condemned terrorism by quoting ancient Indian text Rig Veda. "Terrorism in each case is driven by distortion of religion. Fight against terror is not a confrontation against any religion. Just as Islam means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence. Similarly, every religion stands for peace," she said. 

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday had announced that he will not attend the session due to the inter-governmental organisation, OIC's failure to rescind the invitation to his Indian counterpart."UAE has always helped Pakistan in difficult times", Qureshi noted, adding "There was no consultation over the OIC invitation to Indian foreign minister. India is neither a member nor an observer of the OIC." 

EAM Sushma Swaraj at OIC | Empty Pakistani chair at OIC as Guest of Honour Sushma Swaraj gives her speech. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, during a joint session of the parliament, said that he will not attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit but instead send "lower level officials."

With formal formalities complete between the two countries, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is set to be released at around 3pm, sources have told DawnNewsTV

Prayers Offered For Release | In Chennai, a special thanks giving prayer was organised today by state Home Guards at Kalikambal Temple ahead of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman's release by Pakistan, news agency ANI reported.

Pakistan authorities have formally informed Indian authorities of their decision to release Wing Commander Abhinandan, sources in the Pakistani Foreign Office told DawnNewsTV. Indian Air Attaché Group Captain J.T. Krain has left for Lahore with travel documents of the pilot. Sources have told DawnNewsTv that he will escort the pilot back to India, sources added.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to speak at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Abu Dhabi at 1 pm IST today. She is expected to raise the issue of terrorism, amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror attack. Her address at the OIC was scheduled after Pulwama attack, which upset Pakistan. Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan's Foreign Minister has announced that Pakistan will not attend OIC meeting of Foreign Ministers, news agency ANI said. 

Formalities Completed for Pilot's Release | Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon, Amritsar told news agency ANI that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will cross the border today. "Can't tell you exact time since there are certain formalities. A senior Indian Air force team from Delhi is here, they will be the ones to receive him," he added.

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Mohamed bin Zayed in his communication with both countries had also stressed on the importance of dealing wisely with recent developments and giving priority to dialogue and communication.

Acting Indian High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia has completed processing the necessary documents for Varthaman's release and has handed them to Pakistan.

India’s neighbour in the East, China has also condemned the attack and maintained that the country is friends with both countries. However, China has appeared non-committal about its stand on  US, UK and France’s proposal in the UN Security Council to designate Pakistan-based terror group JeM's chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said he had "good conversations" with Indian and Pakistani leaders and was hopeful that the rising tension will come down between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Global Reactions to Standoff | The aerial dog fight between India and Pakistan had shifted global attention to the Indian subcontinent with both international media and the foreign governments taking due note of the incident. Several world leaders in official statements have urged both countries to de-escalate the situation.

Crowds start to gather at the Wagah Border waiting for the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman

Abhinandan Varthaman's father, S Varthaman, was a consultant for the Mani Ratnam-directed Tamil film 'Kaatru Veliyidai'. The movie has a striking similarity with Abhinandan's real life. In the movie, the hero played the role of an Indian Air Force officer and lands in Pakistan after his jet was shot down. He was later reunited with his family in the film.

Family of Aces | Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman comes from a family which has served the country for generations. His father S Varthaman, recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, was an Air Marshall with the Indian Air Force and an ace pilot himself. His grandfather, Simhakutty, had served the nation during World War II in the Air Force.

Security tightened at the Wagah border to control the increasing number of people gathering there to welcome IAF pilot Abhinandan.

YouTube Takes Down IAF Pilot's Vulgar Videos | On Government of India's request, YouTube removed humiliating videos of Wing Commander Abhinandan that circulated since his capture by Pakistan. It has removed 11 such videos. 

After Pakistan released a video of Wing Commander Abhinandan, the general chatter turned emotional in India. Former armymen and spy chiefs said the nation asked for the pilot to be saved and felt there should be no war.

Following the release of the IAF pilots video by Pakistan, Twitter was buzzing with #BringBackAbhinandan and #AbhinandOurHero. 24 hours later, the number of people moved by these hashtags had only increased. The citizens of Pakistan have also urged its Army to treat the pilot well. 

Swinging Public Opinion | Public Pakistan on Wednesday had released a 39-second video of the captured IAF pilot sipping tea. Abhinandan, in the video, said he was being treated well and that he was "quite impressed" by the Pakistani treatment. Certain social media were also stormed by other videos of his capture that showed Wing Commander being beaten after the crash-landing.

The Wagah-Attari crossing was cleared early today to prepare for IAF pilot Abhinandan's return

Sources in the government have told News18, that a team of Indian Air Force officials will be present at the Wagah border to receive Wing Commander Abhinandan. Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has also offered to receive the Wing Commander.