Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. (Express file photo)Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Friday said he has chosen not to receive Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at the Wagah border to ensure that the defence protocol that is usually followed in such cases is not violated in any way.
“I would have loved to go, since both he and his father were from the National Defence Academy, like me, and it would have been an extremely happy and nostalgic moment for me to receive the brave officer,” said the Chief Minister in a statement.
Follow LIVE updates | IAF pilot Abhinandan to be released in afternoon via Wagah border
However, after his offer to the Prime Minister last evening to welcome the IAF officer back on the Indian soil at the Punjab border, Captain Amarinder said he thought it over and came to the conclusion that it might contravene the protocol laid out for such cases.
When any PoW from the 1965 or 1971 war came back, he was first sent for medical examination, followed by a debriefing, which was likely to be the case with Wing Commander Abhinandan too, he noted.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said he has chosen not to receive Wing Commander #AbhinandanVarthaman at the Wagah border to ensure that the defence protocol that is usually followed in such cases is not violated in any way.
Read more: https://t.co/dbeWeVC0Xw pic.twitter.com/HpgiJSnEmZ
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) March 1, 2019
In the circumstances, it would be more proper for me not to go to the Wagah border to receive the officer, said the Chief Minister, who has been camping in border areas for the past three days as part of the confidence-building exercise undertaken by him in the wake of the tensions prevailing at the LoC.
Dear @narendramodi ji , I’m touring the border areas of Punjab & I’m presently in Amritsar. Came to know that @pid_gov has decided to release #AbhinandanVartaman from Wagha. It will be a honour for me to go and receive him, as he and his father are alumnus of the NDA as I am.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 28, 2019
Extending a warm welcome to Abhinandan, the Chief Minister said the whole nation was proud of the way he stood up to questioning by the Pakistani armed forces during his captivity. “It was top-class and I congratulate him and welcome him back home,” Captain Amarinder added.
Abhinandan’s parents reached New Delhi Thursday evening and are on their way to Amritsar to receive the pilot, who arrives late Friday afternoon.
On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Abhinandan will be released Friday as a “peace gesture”. The announcement, made during a joint session of Parliament in Pakistan, is being seen as first signs of de-escalation of tension between the two nations.
