Abhinandan Varthaman is a wing-commander in the Indian Air Force. In the 2019 India-Pakistan standoff, he was held under captivity for 60 hours in Pakistan after his aircraft was shot down in an aerial dogfight.
Dogfight at Nowshera: Behind the scenes of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in 2D animation
How an ageing Indian MIG-21 Bison commanded by #WingCommander #Abhinandan Varthaman, downed a Pakistani F-16 in this dogfight over Nowshera. Full story in 2D animation. Make sure to watch till the end limerick.
Video – Bisbo Malayalam.
On 27 February 2019, Varthaman was flying a MiG-21 as a part of a sortie that was scrambled to intercept an intrusion by Pakistan aircraft into Jammu and Kashmir. In the dogfight that ensued, he crossed into Pakistan territory where he was struck by a missile. Varthaman ejected and descended safely in the village of Horran in Pakistan administered Kashmir, approximately 7 km from the Line of Control.
It was claimed by local villagers that Varthaman could be identified as an Indian pilot by the Indian flag on his parachute. Upon landing, Varthaman asked the villagers if he was in India, to which a young boy replied in the affirmative. Varthaman reportedly followed up with pro-India slogans and asked for drinking water while informing the locals of a back injury.
The locals responded with pro-Pakistan slogans, after which Varthaman began to run while firing warning shots. He ran for approximately 500 metres, to a small pond, where he attempted to sink and swallow some of his documents. Subsequently, he was captured and manhandled by the villagers before being rescued by the Pakistan Army.
Later that day, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that an Indian pilot was missing in action after a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane was lost while engaging with Pakistani jets.
A statement released by the IAF also said that prior to his MiG’s crashing, he had managed to shoot down a PAF Lockheed Martin F-16. On the 2nd of March 2019, nearly two days after the aerial engagement between PAF and IAF, in a media briefing the IAF displayed the parts of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles which could be used only by the PAF’s Lockheed Martin F-16.
They also claimed that they had identified the electronic signatures of the aircraft and confirmed that it was the Lockheed Martin F-16 that was used. According to an agreement between the US and Pakistan, Pakistan is allowed to use the Lockheed Martin F-16 against terrorism only. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations Director General refuted the later claims and asserted that F-16s were not used at all.
On 28 February 2019, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan announced at a joint sitting of the Parliament of Pakistan that 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 was dismissed by the court the same day.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan said that his government announced the release of the IAF Wing Commander out of a desire for peace and 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. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the release of Abhinandan at a political rally, asserting that the nation was proud of him. Hours before his release, a fresh video was released to the Pakistani media which showed Varthaman praising the Pakistani army while criticizing the Indian media.
The video appeared to be heavily edited and the IAF later claimed that the video was shot under duress. A medical check-up upon his return located multiple bruises and a fractured rib but no ‘significant injuries’. Abhinandan said that the Pakistani authorities did not physically torture him but subjected him to considerable “mental harassment”. Pakistan maintains that he was treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
