Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (Vir Chakra)

 

                                

   Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (Vir Chakra)

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman VrC is an Indian Air Force fighter pilot who, during the 2019 India–Pakistan standoff, was held captive in Pakistan for 60 hours after his aircraft was shot down in an aerial dogfight.

 

Pakistan released videos and images showing Varthaman being rescued from a violent mob of villagers by its soldiers, receiving first aid and being questioned while blindfolded. Despite a legal attempt to thwart it, Pakistan decided on 28 February 2019 to release him as a "gesture of peace" and he returned to India at Wagah on 1 March 2019. Varthaman was conferred the Vir Chakra gallantry award in August 2019.His distinctive style of moustache later became popular in India. 

 

MiG-21 Bison

On 27 February 2019, Varthaman was flying a MiG-21 Bison as a part of a sortie that was scrambled to intercept an intrusion into Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistani aircraft. In the dogfight that ensued, he crossed into Pakistan territory and his aircraft was struck by a missile. Varthaman ejected and safely descended into the village of Horran in Pakistan administered Kashmir, approximately 7 km from the Line of Control.

 

Local villagers said Varthaman could be identified as an Indian pilot by the Indian flag on his parachute. Upon landing, Varthaman asked the villagers whether he was in India, to which a young boy said yes. Varthaman reportedly said pro-India slogans, to which the locals responded with pro-Pakistan slogans. Varthaman began to run while firing warning shots. He ran for approximately 500 m to a small pond, where he attempted to sink and swallow some of his documents. The villagers captured and manhandled Varthaman before he was rescued by the Pakistan Army.

 

Later that day, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed an Indian pilot was missing in action after a MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft was lost while engaging with Pakistani jets. A statement released by the IAF also said before the crash, Varthaman had shot down a PAF Lockheed Martin F-16. At a media briefing on 2 March 2019, nearly two days after the aerial engagement between PAF and IAF, the IAF displayed the parts of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, which could be used only by the PAF's F-16. The IAF also said they had identified the electronic signatures of the aircraft and confirmed that F-16 were used during the skirmish. According to an agreement between the US and Pakistan, Pakistan is only allowed to use the F-16 against terrorists. Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations Director General refuted the later claims and said F-16s had not been used in the incident. The US-based ''Foreign Policy'' magazine, quoting unnamed US officials, reported in April 2019 that an audit didn't find any Pakistani F-16s missing. However, the same has not been confirmed by US Official citing it as bilateral matter between US and Pakistan.

 

On 28 February 2019, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan announced at a joint sitting of the Parliament of Pakistan the government had decided to release Abhinandan the next day as a "gesture of peace". A petition was filed before the Islamabad High Court seeking an injunction to stop his release but the court dismissed it the same day. Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, said his government announced the release of the IAF Wing Commander out of a desire for peace and that there was no compulsion or pressure on Pakistan, as was implied by the Indian media. Varthaman crossed the India-Pakistan border at Wagah on 1 March 2019.

( Source : wikipedia.org)