Pakistan Formally Hands over IAF Wing Commander - Abhinandan Varthaman

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Pakistan has formally conveyed to India its decision to release IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, a day after the announcement was made by Imran Khan in his country’s parliament. The Indian Air Force will receive the Wing Commander at the Wagah border this afternoon, two days after he was captured while engaging in an aerial dogfight with Pakistani F-16s. The Wing Commander’s family reached Delhi from Chennai last evening and are now on their way to Amritsar. The Border Security Force, which is expected to stand guard during the pilot’s arrival, has not been told the “exact time and sequence” of the release.

Pakistani PM Imran Khan’s announcement on Thursday to release the IAF pilot came as a surprise amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries after an intense aerial confrontation. Khan in his parliament speech called the IAF pilot’s release “a gesture of peace.”

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IAF team arrives at Attari-Wagah border to recieve IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman 

Deputy Commissioner Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon, Amritsar said, "Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will cross the border today, can't tell you exact time since there are certain formalities. A senior Indian Air force team from Delhi is here, they will be the ones to receive him."

 

 

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12:08 (IST)

Abhinandan Varthaman handed over to Indian High Commission

IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman has been handed over to Indian High Commission in Pakistan, from where he will be brought to the Attari-Wagah border. He is expected to cross over between 3 to 4 pm, Hindustan Times reported. 

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EAM Sushma Swaraj at OIC | Empty Pakistani chair at OIC as Guest of Honour Sushma Swaraj gives her speech. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, during a joint session of the parliament, said that he will not attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit but instead send "lower level officials."

 

Sushma Swaraj talks terrorism at OIC but stops short of naming Pakistan 

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke about the menace of terrorism, however, she stopped short of naming Pakistan. 

"Terrorism is destroying lives,destabilizing regions and putting the world at great peril. Terror reach is growing and the toll it is taking is increasing," Swaraj said at OIC event. 

Hinting indirectly at Pakistan, Sushma said that the nations which support terrorisms must be warned that such pursuits give no benefit to anyone. She then urged the world to help them dismantle terror hotbeds, and their funding mechanism to bring an end to the menace. 

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Mar 1, 20191:20 pm (IST)

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday had announced that he will not attend the session due to the inter-governmental organisation, OIC's failure to rescind the invitation to his Indian counterpart."UAE has always helped Pakistan in difficult times", Qureshi noted, adding "There was no consultation over the OIC invitation to Indian foreign minister. India is neither a member nor an observer of the OIC." 

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Collection Action Against Terrorism Raised at OIC | Sushma Swaraj in her OIC condemned terrorism by quoting ancient Indian text Rig Veda. "Terrorism in each case is driven by distortion of religion. Fight against terror is not a confrontation against any religion. Just as Islam means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence. Similarly, every religion stands for peace," she said. 

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Bug Scan, Debriefing and Psych Test: What IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Will Go Through on Return

While people on both sides of the border have been campaigning for his early release, it may take a while for Abhinandan Varthaman to return to his normal life, once he is handed over to the Indian authorities

New Delhi: Wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was taken in custody by Pakistan army on Wednesday will return to India on Friday “in consonance with the Geneva Convention”, a senior Indian officer said on Thursday evening.

While people on both sides of the border have been campaigning for his early release, it may take a while for Varthaman to return to his normal life, once he is handed over to the Indian authorities. 

 

 

 

In order to thoroughly understand the modalities involved and the protocol followed after a Prisoner-of-War returns home, News18 spoke to a high-ranking officer on the condition of anonymity.
 

 

“He is surely a brave man. He fought Pakistani F-16 fighter jets with MiG-21 which is ages old and was built in 1970s. India respects him for his bravery. But once our man is caught in enemy territory and taken in their custody, no matter what, the person has to undergo a thorough interrogation on returning,” the senior officer said.
 

 

When News18 contacted the official spokesperson of the Indian Air Force, he said, “The official statement on the issue is silent on his status. I am not sure whether he is considered a prisoner of war,” and further directed to check with the Ministry of External Affairs on his status.

Lt Gen (Retd) HS Panag told News18 that on his return, a PoW is first disarmed and then interrogated in order to “acquire whatever information we can out of him”.

“Upon release, it depends on the country what procedures and route they want to take. There is an initial interrogation that of course happens after a warm welcome. However, after that it’s for the authorities to decide,” he said.

Listed below is a broad set of procedures that Wing Commander Abhinandan will have to undertake after returning.

1. Abhinandan will be directly taken to Indian Air Force Intelligence Unit as soon as he arrives.

2. He will be made to take several medical tests to gauge his fitness levels.

3. Scans will be conducted to check if he has been bugged by the Pakistani army.

4. The pilot will need to undergo psychological tests too. Since he has been captured by the enemy and lived through traumatic situations, defence establishment will explore possibilities of him being tortured to illicit national security secrets from him.

5. Another step, which is usually not followed, but may apply in his case is another round of questioning by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).

“The Air Force intelligence do not usually hand their personnel for questioning to IB or R&AW. But his may be a different case,” the officer said.

“The most painful, yet mandatory step,” he added, “is debriefing to the IAF intelligence. We will have to find out what information was obtained from him during his captivity and ensure that he hasn't been recruited by the other side.”

The official said he was a close spectator of the way things were carried out when Kambampati Nachiketa, the pilot who was captured by Pakistan during the battle of Kargil, returned. He also studied the case of Air Marshal KC Nanda Cariappa, the son of the illustrious army veteran Field Marshal KM Cariappa, who also was captured by Pakistani forces in the ’65 war.

“They never spilled any beans to Pakistan when they were in captivity. But standard procedures have to be followed,” the officer added.

He further elaborated that in case Abhinandan can’t prove his physical and mental fitness, he may have to end up with a desk job. “We can’t predict what is going to happen with the brave man. But he will surely be treated with utmost respect.”

Another serving officer, who, at the moment is deployed in Punjab and did not wish to be identified, said, “He is our hero. He is the man who shot down the American pride of US (F-16) with a Russian vintage (MiG-21). There are punishments if we fail in battlefield. But this man has taken down a leading fighter jet and he will be awarded and not be punished. Small inquiries will be there, but we trust our man.”

The tri-forces of Indian Defense - Army, Air Force and Navy - addressed a press briefing on Thursday to show evidence of Wing Cdr Abhinandan having taken down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet.

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Indian Police Distribute Food to Stranded Pakistani Passengers | Punjab Police personnel distribute food to Pakistani passengers stranded outside Attari Railway station near Amritsar, following the temporary suspension of the Samjhauta Express rail service between India and Pakistan.

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So many Waiting at Wagah Border also many came various parts of the country to witness hand over of Wing Commander Abhinandhan...

 

Normal Wagah border ceremony/parade routine could be cancelled today..

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The convoy has reached Wagah border...

May cross over anytime...

 

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Looks like the Wing Commander Abhinandan reaches near Attari-Wagah border...

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I had been to this border about a decade back...it’s like standing on edge of the country...it’s a feeling..!!