Abhinandan Varthaman Isn’t the Only POW in Pakistan, 54 Others Remain Forgotten in Time

[Kool_SRG]

‘The Missing 54’ are the soldiers and officers of Indian armed forces who were given the status of missing in action (MIA) or killed in action after the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

New Delhi: As India mulled over the possible ways to bring back IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, Pakistan on Thursday said it will decided on according the air force pilot prisoner of war status “in a couple of days”.

"India has raised the matter of the pilot with us. We'll decide in a couple of days what convention will apply to him and whether to give him Prisoner of War status or not," Pakistani media quoted the country’s Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal as saying.

 

 

 

The 38-year-old was captured by Pakistan on Wednesday after his MiG-21 Bison crashed during an aerial dogfight with a Pakistani jet.
 

 

‘The Missing 54’ 
 

 

While the debate over POW status to Varthaman escalates, 54 other Indians soldiers, officers and pilots continue to be held by Pakistan as POWs since the 1971 conflict, although the Pakistan government has often denied their presence on its soil. The 54 POWs have come to be known as ’The Missing 54’.

‘The Missing 54’ are the soldiers and officers of Indian armed forces who were given the status of missing in action (MIA) or killed in action after the 1971 Indo-Pak war. However, they are believed to be alive and imprisoned in various Pakistani jails. They include 30 personnel from the Indian Army and 24 from the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The 30 Army personnel include one Lieutenant, eight Captains, two Second Lieutenants, six Majors, two Subedars, three Naik Lieutenants, one Havaldaur, five gunners and two sepoys from the Indian Army. The remaining 24 from the Indian Air Force include three Flight Officers, one Wing Commander, four Squadron Leaders and 16 Flight Lieutenants.

This list was tabled in the Lok Sabha in 1979 by Samarendra Kundu, Minister of State of External Affairs, in reply to a question raised by Amarsingh Pathawa.

The families have approached both the United Nations and the International Committee for the Red Cross in their 48-year-long campaign, but neither body was able to offer assistance.

On the contrary, during the 1971 war, India had taken almost 90,000 Pakistani troops as POWs. However, all of them were released as part of the Simla peace agreement.

Until 1989, Pakistan had completely denied holding the prisoners. However, then prime minister Benazir Bhutto finally told visiting Indian officials that the men were in Pakistani custody. The POW issue had also figured in the discussions between Bhutto and then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi during their meeting in Islamabad in December 1989. She had also assured Gandhi that she would “seriously look into their release”.

Years later, former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf back-tracked on this, formally denying their existence in Pakistan.

However, there has been compelling evidence of the presence of 54 POWs in Pakistan’s custody.

In 1972, Time magazine published a photo showing one of the men behind bars in Pakistan. His family believed he had been killed during the war, but instantly recognised him, The Diplomat reported in 2015.

In her biography of Benazir Bhutto, British historian and former BBC correspondent Victoria Schoffield reported that a Pakistani lawyer had been told that Kot Lakhpat prison in Lahore was housing Indian prisoners of war “from the 1971 conflict”.

Victoria Schofield in her book Bhutto: Trial and Execution also wrote, “Besides these conditions at Kot Lakhpat (jail), for three months Bhutto (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) was subjected to a peculiar kind of harassment, which he thought was especially for his benefit… His cell, separated from a barrack area by a 10-foot-high wall, did not prevent him from hearing horrific shrieks and screams at night from the other side of the wall. One of Mr Bhutto's lawyers made enquiries among the jail staff and ascertained that they were in fact Indian prisoners-of-war who had been rendered delinquent and mental during the course of the 1971 war.”

“An American general, Chuck Yeager, also revealed in an autobiography that during the 1971 war, he had personally interviewed Indian pilots captured by the Pakistanis. The airmen were of particular interest to the Americans because, at the height of the Cold War, the men had attended training in Russia and were flying Soviet designed and manufactured aircraft,” The Diplomat wrote in 2015.

On September 1, 2015, the Supreme Court also asked the Centre about the status of these 54 Indian POWs languishing in Pakistan jails since 1971.

"Are they still alive?” the Supreme Court had questioned.

"We don't know," Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for External Affairs and Defence ministries, told a bench of Justice TS Thakur and Justice Kurian Joseph.

"We presume that they are dead as Pakistan has been denying their presence in their prisons," he said.

The provisions of the Geneva conventions apply in peacetime situations, in declared wars, and in conflicts that are not recognised as war by one or more of the parties. The treatment of prisoners of war is dealt with by the Third Convention or treaty. More specifically, the 3rd Geneva Convention of 1949 lays down a wide range of protection for prisoners of war. It defines their rights and sets down detailed rules for their treatment and eventual release. International humanitarian law (IHL) also protects other persons deprived of liberty as a result of armed conflict.

[solman]

india jails lo enta mandhi unnaru pakistan army vallu?

[Kool_SRG]

In 1999, Kargil war hero Kambampati Nachiketa was released by Pakistan after eight days 
 

 

HYDERABAD: Kambampati Nachiketa, a native of Andhra Pradesh was a fighter pilot who was held as prisoner of war by Pakistan during the Kargil war. He was released after eight days due to mounting pressure.Nachiketa was diagnosed with spinal compression fracture due to the torture by Pakistan army in captivity when he refused to divulge any details. 

Nachiketa's father, KRK Shastry, and mother K Lakshmi Shastry hail from Andhra and lived in Delhi. Nachiketa was a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya at RK Puram in Delhi and went to National Defence academy.

On May 27, 1999, during the Kargil war, Nachiketa, then Flight Lieutenant,was captured by pakistan army after he ejected out of his MiG-27 due to engine failure,following ground fire. The MiG crashed 12 Kms inside Pakistan.Nachiketa fought with Pakistan army even after landing, but ran out of ammunition.

Nachiketa was publicly paraded by the Pakistan army, which was aired on TV. Later, he was cofined in a prison in Rawalpindi. He was released from captivity by then Pakistan PM, Nawaz Sharif,and handed over to International Committee of the Red Cross by Pakistan foreign office spokesman Tariq Altaf.

Nachiketa arrived at the Wagha border on June 5, 1999. He later met then Prime minister AB Vajpayee.

He was awarded Vayu Sena Gallantry medal.

Defence and aviation historian KS Nair said, "We are hoping that the Pakistani military returns the captured Indian pilot to his home country in good health. The Indian military had done the same with 95,000 Pakistan Pakistan prisoners of war that they had taken in 1971." 
 

[Kool_SRG]

IAF pilot Abhinandan's capture by Pakistan brings back memories of Kargil war hero Kambampati Nachiketa

The flight lieutenant, then 26 was the first and only PoW of the 1999 Kargil war. Nachiketa was captured by Pakistan on May 27, 1999, and was repatriated to India on June 3.

After the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that an Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan during the standoff on February 27, memories of the last time the neighbouring country captured an Indian pilot rushed back.

During the Kargil War, Flight Lieutenant Kambampati Nachiketa was captured after his MiG-27 suffered a flameout while destroying enemy positions in the Batalik subsector.

Nachiketa, now the Group Captain, ejected at 18,000 ft while his plane started spiralling down but he had landed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He was saved from Pakistani fire by a senior military officer and was taken into custody.

India also lost another pilot — squadron leader Ajay Ahuja, who was looking for Nachiketa after he saw the Flight Lieutenant eject from the flight. Ahuja was struck by a Pakistani missile.

 

The Flight Lieutenant ,then 26, was the first and only prisoner of war of the 1999 Kargil war. Nachiketa was captured by Pakistan on May 27, 1999, and was repatriated to India on June 3 of that year.

While video footage of Abhinandan "being treated well" by the Pakistani army has been doing the rounds on social media, Nachiketa's eight-day stay in Pakistani custody was different — filled with "severe mental and physical torture".

 

"It was very tough. I can't describe that experience in words. That time I thought maybe death is a simpler solution. But I am thankful to God that destiny was on my side. I underwent severe mental and physical torture there for three-four days," Nachiketa told Hindustan Times during an interview in 2016.

While Nachiketa thought that he would never return, he said: "There comes a point where you think ‘death is simpler’, but fortunately for me, the third-degree part, which is the last part, didn’t start for me."

Meanwhile, India, as well as international media, had started mounting pressure on Pakistan for the release of K Nachiketa. Bowing to scrutiny media and other nations, Pakistan finally handed over Kambampati Nachiketa to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Pakistan. He was then returned home via the Wagah border.

 

Nachiketa's return, however, was not without its perils. He was medically downgraded and given ground duties for the first three years as he had suffered a compression fracture, caused by ejecting out of MiG-27.

The IAF pilot resumed flying only in 2003. "It was a life-shattering experience," Nachiketa had said recalling his time in captivity.

Nachiketa was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for his bravery in 2000.

[Kool_SRG]

14 minutes ago, solman said:

india jails lo enta mandhi unnaru pakistan army vallu?

Don't think so any body is there...

[solman]

1 minute ago, Kool_SRG said:

Don't think so any body is there...

aa news mana media lo radhu kada... 

[Kool_SRG]

What Happens When a Prisoner of War is Held: From Lt Gen (Retd) Panag Who Captured India’s First POW

Calling war a 'two-way street, Lt Gen (Retd) HS Panag said the ugly face of war has hit India in less than 24 hours

New Delhi: The recent aerial dogfight between India and Pakistan has raked up memories of the 1971 war, the last time the IAF had conducted aerial strikes across the border. Apart from India’s decisive victory, the war is also remembered as one when India arrested its first prisoner of war. And the man who made that arrest was Lt Gen (Retd) Panag.

Speaking to News18.com, the veteran recalls the moment in detail.

Do you think India could have done better through regular communication? 
There is certainly an information warfare going on. And as things are, I think India has been losing the perception battle. 

 

They have briefed the public via media in detail; they have laid out what they want. After the conflict that took place at around 10:20 am yesterday, he had tweeted by mid-day and at 1:30 pm there was a detailed press conference.

We were being informed about what had happened by the DGISPR in Pakistan rather than our own spokesperson.

I would say that in 1971, 48 years ago, public relations department of the Ministry of Defense was regularly briefing defense correspondents and some of them were attached to units at the front line. It was much better managed. During the Kargil war, the armed forces had set up a formal information warfare cell headed by a Major. And he kept everybody informed, regular briefings were being held.

Here, we were happy to announce that the country must run and business as usual was declared. Once you have embarked on a strategy, you must have all other things in place.

I would say in the last 60 hours, we have lost the perception battle, hands down.

What happens when a prisoner of war is captured? 

Immediately, what happens is he is considered a prisoner of war; he is dis-armed and then he is interrogated to acquire whatever information we can get out of him. There are set procedures laid down where we note down his serial number, his unit.

We then follow the protocol laid down in the Geneva Convention. 

Geneva Convention is applicable for any type of war or armed conflict. Abhinandan is currently a prisoner of war.

Can you take us through what happened in 1971 when you rescued a Pakistani prisoner of war? 

The first prisoner of war in 1971 was captured by me and he was a Pakistan Air Force pilot. This incident happened on November 1971. We were in confrontation with Bangladesh in a place called Chaugacha. War had not been declared and, therefore, the IAF was not deployed for our help. We were on the eastern side of the river and the Pakistan was on the western. At mid-day on 22nd against the setting sun that four Pakistan's aircraft were flying towards the eastern side targeting our tank. We shot down three and one of the pilots descended roughly five-six hundred meters from where we were. I was chief operation officer of the unit head. Naturally, our soldiers ran to him and in the heat of the moment I was sure the soldiers will rough him up though they were aware of the Geneva Convention. I ordered the soldiers to back off.


What is your personal analysis of the situation and what is the way ahead from here? 

We must remember that the entire nation, especially the news channels, were clamouring for war for the last 3-4 years. And if you clamour for war, this is what happens. The ugly face of war has hit us in less than 24 hours. War is a two-way street. Pakistan also has a professional army. There is no need to be euphoric over minor victories. You must seek what end result you want and must constantly work towards it. That is what war is about. Around 2,000-3,000 died in 1971, and with today’s high tech weapons it would be nothing less than 7,000-8,000. Are we ready for that?

(This interview was conducted before Pakistan announced its decision to release IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Friday and before the joint press conference by the Indian Air Force, Navy and Army.)

[Kool_SRG]

2 minutes ago, solman said:

aa news mana media lo radhu kada... 

Unless they do a major mistake like Kasab did on 26/11 they are to be handed back to the parent country fit and fine..

[boeing747]

hope abhinandan comes back safely soon

[solman]

Just now, boeing747 said:

hope abhinandan comes back safely soon

release chestunamu ani @ImranKhanReddy already cheppadu gaa

[Kool_SRG]

2 minutes ago, boeing747 said:

hope abhinandan comes back safely soon

They are going to handover abhinandhan tomorrow already Imran Khan announced it today as they don't want to escalate issues more.. 

[Raasko]

@Kalam_Youtheman baa plz fafam vellani koodaa....mee geneva account lo ....plz set them free 

[Ecommerce]

37 minutes ago, solman said:

india jails lo enta mandhi unnaru pakistan army vallu?

thu em bathuku ra needi, poyi IMRAN KHAN ggaadu piyya tinu ra erri **

[solman]

Just now, Ecommerce said:

thu em bathuku ra needi, poyi IMRAN KHAN ggaadu piyya tinu ra erri **

[Raasko]

Just now, solman said: