Indians all over the globe have been celebrating the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan on Friday. The braveheart was welcomed by the IAF team at the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar district after he was captured by Pakistani authorities.

As many sports stars have welcomed the hero back, tennis star Sania Mirza also posted a heartwarming message for Abhinandan following his return to India.

She wrote, “Welcome back Wing Commander Abhinandan .. you are our HERO in the truest sense.. The country salutes you and the bravery and dignity you have shown #Respect #WelcomeBackAbinandan Jai Hind”.

Welcome back Wing Commander Abhinandan .. you are our HERO in the truest sense.. The country salutes you and the bravery and dignity you have shown  #Respect #WelcomeBackAbinandan Jai Hind

— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) March 1, 2019

The tennis player, who is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, had faced a lot of backlash after she posted about the Pulwama attacks. The player had been receiving hate messages on social media once the incident had taken place on 14 February. Many Indians even accused her of not using ‘Pakistan’ in her post.

We stand united  #PulwamaAttack pic.twitter.com/Cmeij5X1On

— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) February 17, 2019

Wearing blue blazer and grey 'khaki' trouser, Wing Commander Abhinandan crossed over into India from Attari-Wagah border at 9:20 pm. He was handed over by the Pakistan Rangers to the BSF following paperwork.

He was accompanied by an officer of the Pakistan Foreign Office and Indian Defence Attaché Group Captain Joy Thomas Kurien.