Abhinandan’s Exclusive Story

A story of Two Sons of India-Pak Air Marshals, Who Fought In The Sky

By Onkareshwar Pandey

New Delhi, March 01, 2019: Here is an interesting story about India’s Valiant Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who returned to India after two days in Pakistani captivity via the Wagah-Attari border, fought and shot down Pakistan’s F-16 with his Mig 21 Bison.

Two sons of Air Marshals fought in the mid-air up in the skies. Wg Cdr Abhinandan (IND) in MIG, an old fighter jet & now Late, Wg Cdr Shahzaz Ud Din (PAK) in F-16. Both fell from the skies, one could not survive.

Wg Cdr Abhinandan raised patriotic slogans, fired in the air and stuffed his mouth with documents when he landed on Pakistani soil after ejecting from his fighter jet, says the headman of a village on the other side of the border.

Wg Cdr Abhinandan became the centre of global attention since his capture after a MiG 21 Bison he was flying was shot during an aerial dogfight with the Pakistani air force

In a 2017 Bollywood movie, an Indian Air Force squadron leader jet is shot down and he ends up in prison in Pakistan. The character ultimately escapes and returns to his family.

“At times, reality is stranger than fiction. The PAF F16 Wg Cdr Shahzaz Ud Din of No 19 Squadron flying F-16s killed in action on 27 February was the son of Air Marshal Waseem Ud Din, DCAS (Operations) of PAF,” says Umar Khalid in his face book post.

IAF Wg Cdr Abhinandan (who is the son of an IAF Air Marshal Simhakutty Varthaman) shot down the F16 flown by the son of the PAF Air Marshall before his own Mig 21 Bison was hit by Pakistani anti-aircraft gunfire and was downed and captured.

Most interestingly, Wg Cdr Abhinandan’s father Air Marshal Simhakutty Varthaman (Retired) had been an advisor for Mani Ratnam's film Kaatru Veliyidai which was set against the backdrop of the 1999 Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan.

His son has returned home rather sooner but another Air Marshall was not that lucky. Life is to cherish and not to be lost to the greed of politicians and creed of the generals.

In a major victory for India, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has returned from Pakistan, which has sent a sense of relief and satisfaction to over a billion Indians and many more worldwide who were praying for the safe return of the brave Indian Air Force Pilot to the Indian soil.

Now everyone wants to know, who is Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman?

Here is the complete profile of India’s brave and victorious Hero Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman.

A graduate of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman (34-year-old) is a student of Sainik Welfare School, Amatavatinagar in Chennai.  He belongs to Thirupanamoor village.

Wg Cdr Abhinandan was first commissioned as a fighter pilot in 2004 and is an efficient Sukhoi-30 fighter pilot Officer.

He was promoted to Wing Commander and was assigned to the Mi-21 Bison squadron in his Fifteen years service.

He was trained at the IAF centres of Bathinda and Halwara.

Abhinandan is the son of a decorated former fighter pilot Air Marshal Simhakutty Varthaman, who retired after serving as the Eastern Air Command Chief, according to media reports. His mother is a doctor.

Wg Cdr Abhinandan belongs to a family of brave hearts. He is married to Tanvi Marwah, who is also a retired IAF Squadron Leader and has two children. His brother, too, serves, in the Indian Air Force.

Wg Cdr Abhinandan is an enthusiastic reader and an outstanding speaker.

India’s Valiant Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman returned to India after two days in Pakistani captivity via the Wagah-Attari border. India had demanded the immediate and safe return of IAF pilot, Abhinandan after his MiG-21 Bison was brought down by Pakistani forces.

The IAF pilot Abhinandan crossed over at 9.22pm tonight and was given a very warm welcome in India.

The story is, while Pakistani Military still denies that it has lost an F-16B Twin-seat Variant to an older generation Indian Mig-21 Bis fighter jet in February 27 dogfight over LOC. Photo courtesy - The Hindu

Senior ranking IAF Officer Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar in his tweet has named that the pilot killed in F-16B crash was Wing Commander Shahzaz Ud Din of No 19 Squadron which belongs to PAF’s F-16 Squadron. Nambiar added that he was the brave son of Air Marshal Waseem Ud Din, DCAS (Operations) and ended with Rest in Peace (RIP).

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor Spokesperson of Pakistan Armed Forces had claimed that two Indian jets were shot down by PAF and three Indian Pilots were captured, a local eye witness from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (Azad Kashmir) also claimed he saw three pilots ejecting from two jets, by end of the day, Ghafoor backtracked and said only one pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan was in their custody.

Pakistani PM Imran Khan in his televised speech also claimed Two Migs were shot down and Indian Pilots were in their custody, which raised speculations that other two pilots from other jets might have been Pakistani Air Force Pilots which crashed on the Pakistani side of the line of control.

Both Pakistani Pilots had made successful ejections in Azad Kashmir, but one dead Pilot suggests that he might have suffered serious injuries post-ejection according to media reports.

Wg Cdr Abhinandan was first sent to Islamabad from Rawalpindi, which is the general headquarters of the Pakistani Army, and was handed over the Indian High Commission. He was then brought to Wagah from where he crossed over through the border at Attari in Amritsar, Punjab.

Abhinandan, who was taken to Delhi immediately, was accompanied by Group Captain J.D. Kurien, India’s Air Attache To Pakistan. The IAF pilot’s parents were at Wagah to receive him.

Abhinandan’s Release under Geneva Conventions

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is trying to portray that IAF pilot Wg Cdr Abhinandan was released as a “gesture of peace” with India, however, the Indian authorities are not much impressed by the release of Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman, saying it was their obligation under Geneva Conventions.

Although India media has taken it as a welcome step, Indian authorities says that Pakistan has not observed the Geneva Conventions strictly as is evident from a video in which he is purportedly being hit and taken away hands tied, bleeding and humiliated and being interrogated.

Pakistan’s decision to release Wg Cdr Abhinandan came a day after India issued a strong demarche to the acting High Commissioner of Pakistan to India and told him that there will be no “deal or negotiation” on handing over Abhinandan and that he should be returned to India “unharmed”.

Wg Cdr Abhinandan was beaten up by some locals, as suggested by purported footage of his first moments on Pakistani soil, before being rescued by the country’s army.

“During the Kargil war, India also returned eight soldiers of Pakistan’s Northern Light Infantry who were captured during the conflict in Kargil. Indian units even exhumed bodies of some Pakistani soldiers in subsequent months and returned those that were quietly claimed by Pakistani military units at the local level. For the most part, Pakistan kept up the façade that the Kargil incursion was carried out by terrorists and not its army regulars and refused to claim the bodies for several years. These were buried by the Indian side with dignity.” (Source: Chander Suta Dogra, a senior journalist and author. Her forthcoming book on Indian prisoners of war)

However, the situation on the border is still much tensed. Pakistan has already vacated the civilians from its border villages and has begun massive mobilisation of troops, tanks and other armoured material along the line of control.

Now India is waiting for Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. India has handed over a dossier to Pakistan with specific details of the JeM complicity in Pulwama terror attack and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in Pakistan.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan and is "unwell", but said the government can act against him only if India presents "solid" and "inalienable" evidence that can stand in a court of law.