IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was released by Pakistani authorities on Friday. (PTI)Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman received a grand welcome from leaders across various political parties minutes after he was repatriated to India late on Friday. After being in Islamabad’s custody for nearly 60 hours, Abhinandan was handed over by Pakistani authorities at Wagah Border around 9.30 PM today.
Welcoming the Indian pilot and lauding his “exemplary courage”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “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!”
Read | PM Modi welcomes IAF pilot Abhinandan, says ‘India is proud of your exemplary courage’
Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted after his return; “Wing Cdr. Abhinandan, your dignity, poise and bravery made us all proud. Welcome back and much love.”
🇮🇳 Wing Cdr. Abhinandan, your dignity, poise and bravery made us all proud. Welcome back and much love. 🇮🇳
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 1, 2019
Speaking on similar lines, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the entire nation was proud of the IAF pilot. “Welcome Home! The entire Nation is proud of Wing Commander Abhinandan,” he tweeted.
Welcome Home! The entire Nation is proud of Wing Commander Abhinandan.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) March 1, 2019
Praising the IAF pilot for remaining “calm in the face of adversity”, Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharam tweeted, “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.”
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted, “Proud of your courage Wing Commander Abhinandan! Welcome back home. Abhinandan to you. Jai Hind. Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said, “Welcome home Wing Commander. It’s great to have you back.”
Welcome home Wing Commander. It’s great to have you back.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 1, 2019
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tweeted, “India’s happiness on return of Wing Commander Abhinandan is unprecedented. I salute the courage and resilience of Wing Commander Abhinandan.”
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
Two days after he was captured by the Pakistan Army, Abhinandan handed over to Indian officials at the Wagah border in Punjab at around 9.30 pm today. Abhinandan’s parents — his father is an IAF veteran — had travelled to Amritsar from Chennai this morning to meet him on arrival. However, the pilot was whisked away in a convoy by Indian officials away from the public glare.
Abhinandan was captured on the morning of February 27 after his MiG21 Bison aircraft was shot down by Pakistan. The IAF was responding after Pakistan violated India’s airspace over Nowshera and Krishna Ghati sectors of Rajouri and Poonch districts and attempted air strikes. Abhinandan was captured by the Pakistan Army after his parachute landed across the Line of Control (LoC).
Marking a significant step towards de-escalation, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had said his country would release the IAF pilot as a “goodwill gesture”. In the Pakistan Parliament, he said: “I want to say that Pakistan wants peace. We want stability and peace to ensure development. This tension does not benefit either Pakistan or India. …Nobody wins in a war. That too between two nations which have a very destructive weapon.”
