Wagah/Attari: After a suspenseful wait lasting hours, Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman finally returned home Friday night from his nearly three-day captivity in Pakistan.
Hoping to give a hero’s welcome to Wing Commander Varthaman, thousands of Indians gathered on the border carrying the Tricolour and garlands since morning. But as the day wore on and night fell there was no sign of the pilot, who was captured on February 27 by Pakistan following a dogfight between the two air forces in which his MIG-21 was shot down.
He finally emerged at 9.10 pm at the Wagah check post on the Pakistani side, accompanied by Pakistani Rangers and the Indian air attache posted in the High Commission in Islamabad.
Dressed in a blue coat, grey trousers and white shirt, he was received by senior Border Security Force officers at 9.21 pm at Zero Line that marks the India-Pakistan land border.
“I am happy to be back home,” Abhinandan said in his first reaction after stepping into India, according to Amritsar Deputy Commissioner, Shivdular Singh Dhillon, who received the IAF pilot along with senior IAF and Border Security Force (BSF) officers.
Abhinandan was accompanied from Pakistan side by Group Captain JD Kurian.
Air Vice Marshall RGK. Kapoor told the media that the Wing Commander was “handed to us as per standard operating procedure of the Indian Air Force”.
“He will now be taken for a detailed medical check-up. The check-up is mandated particularly because the officer had to eject from an aeroplane which would have put his entire body under great stress,” Kapoor said.
Earlier, Abhinandan was formally handed over to officials of the Indian High Commission at Wagah (in Pakistan) led by Group Captain J.D. Kurian.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Thursday that the captured pilot will be freed as a “goodwill gesture” after New Delhi demanded his unconditional, immediate and unharmed release.
Dhillon said, “The Pakistan authorities brought Abhinandan to the joint check post at Attari and he crossed over the Zero Line at around 9:21 pm. After going through some formalities at the Wagah-Attari border, he was handed over to the BSF authorities. Later, the IAF authorities took him with them.” He said the officer’s parents were not present at the check post.
The handing over of Abhinandan was delayed as he was asked to record a statement on camera by Pakistani authorities before he was allowed to cross the border, according to sources in Pakistan. It was not clear whether he was made to record the video under duress. The video also had several jump cuts indicating that it had been edited heavily, apparently to fit Pakistani propaganda. At 8.30 pm (9 pm IST), the Pakistan government released the pilot’s video message to the local media in which he said as to how he was captured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the return of Varthaman, saying the nation is proud of his exemplary courage. “Welcome Home Wing Commander Abhinandan! The nation is proud of your exemplary courage. Our armed forces are an inspiration for 130 crore Indians,” tweeted Modi.
Several political leaders, including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also welcomed the IAF hero back home. (Agencies)
