Twitter trolls India for awarding Vir Chakra to Abhinandan Varthaman
The wartime gallantry award given for worst military fiction
Photo: Twitter/ Khaleej Mag
India has awarded Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, now a group captain, with its wartime military gallantry award Vir Chakra for “exceptional performance” in an air combat that ended with the downing of his MiG21 Bison, an upgraded version of MiG21.
But in one of the worst told military fiction the Indian government claimed again on Monday that Abhinandan was awarded the third highest gallantry award for “shoting down a Pakistani F-16” on February 27, 2019.
It is a lie that many in India won’t believe because after the February 2019 dogfight, the United States counted Pakistan’s F-16s and found none missing, according to the Foreign Policy Magazine and Washington Post. The post had said at the time that India’s claim of shooting down an F-16 stemmed from Modi government’s electoral needs because if it admitted that “the IAF did not, in fact, shoot down a Pakistani F-16, voters might conclude that India carried out airstrikes and has nothing to show for them but lost a pilot, a warplane, a helicopter and six other military personnel.”
In this backdrop, when India on Monday awarded Vir Chakra to Varthaman, Twitter users in Pakistan began sharing videos of Abhinandan’s capture and reminding India of what actually had happened.
Varthaman’s MiG 21 Bison aircraft were shot down by the Pakistan Air Force in Kashmir on February 27. He was arrested and later released as the “peace gesture” by Pakistan. Indian air defense forces had also shot down an MI-17 helicopter in Badgam mistaking it as an enemy aircraft. It led to dead of 16 military personnel whose deaths were barely discussed in India.
Later in the day, the Indian Air Force had claimed that they shot down a Pakistani F-16 but couldn’t prove their claims to the international media. India has never shown the wreckage of the “downed” F-16. All they could produce was parts of an AMRAM missile which could be fired from both F-16 and JF-17 Thunder fighter jets. Pakistan said it only used JF-17s in the dogfight.
Since then the issue is revisited with each and every development regarding Abhinandan Varthaman or Pakistan Air Force’s achievements.
The netizens took a jib at Abhinandan and how India ironically awarded him a bravery award. Here are how the Pakistani social media users reacted.
One of the users shared the screenshot of an Indian publication of Pakistan’s F-16 count by the US rebuffing the Indian claim and wondered what Abhinandan was being awarded for.
“sHoT DoWn F-16 ….” 🤡
— Anees Khan (@AneesKhan973) November 22, 2021
Ok 🤐 pic.twitter.com/lEMP0wIo5M
Another shared the video of an Indian aviation expert busting Indian claims on a live TV show. “India has been making a mockery of the profession of arms,” he said.
Lolz, mockery of profession of Arms… even US rebuffed Indian claims through physical counting of F-16 Aircrafts on inventory of PAF, an Indian Aviation expert busted Indian claims right on TV in live program, yet @IAF_MCC shamelessly decorating a disgraced pilot. pic.twitter.com/pQU2Xr1pmp
— Omer Shehryar (@omer_shehryar) November 22, 2021
A video-based social media channel from Kashmir gave a soft reminder to India about what happened on February 27.
They may have forgotten what happened to them on February 27 in Pakistan#F16 #PakArmy pic.twitter.com/xvbHpEIz06
— DNOW Media (@DnowMedia) November 22, 2021
Quoting a tweet from Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, Australian journalist Dennis took a dig at Abhinandan for getting an award for “shooting down pine trees”.
When you get awards for shooting down pine trees.
— General Vir Chakra (@DennisCricket_) November 22, 2021
I dropped 5 on my property with a chainsaw last week. Where’s my award? https://t.co/QbqTf5Wa5W
Posting a video of Abhinandan’s fall in Azad Kashmir, another user wrote: here’s that F-16.
Here is that F-16 😂🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/P8cQJomfBs
— Ilyas Khan (@Ranger4459) November 22, 2021
In a video message after being captured by Pakistan Army, Abhinandan had said that the officers of the Pakistan Army had treated him well and they were thorough gentlemen.
“I would like to put this on record and I will not change my statement if I go back to my country also,” Abhinandan said in a recorded video. “The officers of the Pakistan Army have looked after me very well and they are thorough gentlemen.”
The Indian pilot was seen enjoying tea in one of the Unit offices of the Pakistan Army and he thanked the Pakistani soldiers for tea. “The tea is fantastic,” he said. “I am very impressed by the Pakistani Army.”
