Pakistan will release the Indian fighter pilot captured after his plane was shot down earlier this week in the disputed Kashmir region.

Prime Minister Imran Khan announced Thursday during a parliamentary speech that it will turn over Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Friday as a "peace gesture" towards its nuclear-armed neighbor. "In our desire of peace, I announce that tomorrow (Friday), and as a first step to open negotiations (with India), Pakistan will be releasing the Indian Air Force officer in our custody,” Khan said.

Varthaman was captured Wednesday after flying over the Line of Control, the de-facto border in the disputed Kashmir region, and into the airspace of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. A second Indian fighter jet was also shot down during the skirmish, but crashed in India-controlled Kashmir. New Delhi also claims it shot down a Pakistani fighter jet, a claim denied by Islamabad.

The announcement came just a few hours after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated to reporters in Hanoi that the United States was playing a role to help lower tensions between the South Asian nuclear armed rivals. “We have reasonably attractive news from Pakistan and India. They have been going at it, we have been involved in trying to help them stop. And we have some reasonably decent news. I think, hopefully that will be coming to an end,” Trump noted.

 

 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Thursday on a flight from Vietnam to Manila he “spent a good deal of time” speaking Wednesday night with the leaders of India and Pakistan. Pompeo said the conversations were aimed at “making sure there was a good information exchange” between the leaders and encouraging them "not to take any action that would escalate and greatly increase risk.”

The recent developments involving both countries will also likely be discussed Thursday morning when U.S. Undersecretary for Political Affairs David Hale meets with Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Asad Majeed Khan at the State Department in Washington.

Pakistan closed off its civilian airspace after the aerial firefight, a decision that forced Thai Airlines to cancel all flights to and from Bangkok to most of the major cities in Europe, leaving nearly 5,000 passengers scrambling to find alternative flights. Thai Airlines later received permission from China to fly over its airspace.

Pakistan and India have moved closer to the brink of war since 40 Indian paramilitary forces were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Pulwama in India-controlled Kashmir on February 14. New Delhi has accused Pakistan of shielding the militant group Jaish e Mohammad, which has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack. A spokesman for Pakistan's foreign ministry says it has received a dossier from India about the attack.

Indian jets entered Pakistani airspace Tuesday, for the first time since 1971 when the two countries went to war, to destroy what they said were JeM’s training camps in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The rivals have gone to war three times since achieving independence from Britain in 1947

The two sides briefly exchanged fire across the contested border in Kashmir on Thursday. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says his Saudi counterpart, Adel al-Jubeir, will arrive in Islamabad later Thursday carrying a special message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.</s>Pakistan Prime Minster Imran Khan told a joint session of Parliament that IAF's captured pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be released on Friday as a gesture of peace.

"In our desire for peace, I announce that tomorrow, and as a first step to open negotiations, Pakistan will be releasing the Indian Air Force officer in our custody," PM Khan said.

The gesture is greeted with near unanimous support in the parliament.

Addressing a joint session of the National Assembly, Khan said the India-Pakistan situation should not "get out of hand" otherwise "Pakistan will have to retaliate," the Dawn reported.

"Countries are ruined because of miscalculation," said Khan. Alleging "war hysteria" in India, he said: "I'm afraid there might be a miscalculation.

"War is not a solution. If India takes any action, we will have to retaliate."

The joint session of Parliament was called to discuss the rising tensions with India.

"The only purpose of our strike (on India on Wednesday) was to demonstrate our capability and will," said the Prime Minister. "We did not want to inflict any casualty on India as we wanted to act in a responsible manner."

He said he tried to call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the telephone on Wednesday because "escalation is not in our interests nor in India's".

The surprise announcement came barely an hour after Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Prime Minister Khan is ready to talk to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions.

The announcement was greeted by thumping of desks by Pakistani lawmakers.

Indian and Pakistani air force engaged in "aerial engagement" on Wednesday, a day after Indian fighter jets bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp in Balakot.

On Wednesday morning, Pakistani jets entered Indian airspace in the Jammu sector, and Indian Air Force fighter jets chased them. Abhinandan Varthaman's MiG21 Bison jet crossed into Pakistani airspace while chasing away a Pakistan Air Force jet and was shot down.</s>Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has called for a meeting of the National Command Authority (NCA) in the aftermath of India's pre-emptive, non-military air strikes at terror camps in Balakot in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

This is the second high-level meeting that Imran has called for in the wake of the Indian Air Force's operation. On Tuesday, he had convened an emergency review meeting of top defence and foreign ministry officials.

However, the meeting with the NCA stands out as the first significant reaction by Pakistan to India's air strikes as the NCA oversees not only Pakistan's strategic components but also its nuclear arsenal. Spokesperson of the Pakistan Armed Forces Major General Asif Ghafoor said as much at a press conference on Tuesday.

"I said we will surprise you. Wait for that surprise. I said our response will be different. There is a joint session of Parliament tomorrow (Wednesday) and then the prime minister has summoned a meeting of the National Command Authority. I hope you know what the NCA means and what it constitutes," Ghafoor was as saying by News18.

The meeting will be attended by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa as well as officials of the defence and foreign ministries.

What is the NCA?

The NCA was formally set up in 2000 after National Security Council chief executive General Pervez Musharraf overthrew the government in a military coup.

However, the Nuclear Threat Initiative traces the beginning of the nuclear body to 1996 when then Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto said in a clear departure from the pre-existing norm of the country's nuclear ambivalence that if India conducts a nuclear test, Pakistan could be forced to "follow suit".

By 1997, the then Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif had acknowledged his country's nuclear capabilities. In a speech at the United Nations, Sharif had offered to begin discussions with India on a non-aggression pact between the two countries and on mutual restraint on nuclear weapons and delivery systems.

On 3 February, 2000, Pakistan formally announced that it has created the NCA to facilitate the command and control of its nuclear weapons. That same year, China handed over the Chashma nuclear plant to Pakistan.

The NCA comprises the Employment Control Committee, Development Control Committee and a Strategic Plans Division of Pakistan. All three committees were to be led by the head of the government, which was Musharraf at that time. The other members of the body will be the ministers of foreign affairs, defence and interior departments, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, the chiefs of the armed forces and the director-general of the Strategic Plans Division.

In 2019, the Pakistani National Assembly approved the National Command Authority (NCA) Bill, 2009, legally establishing the NCA as a civilian-led body in charge of the country's nuclear assets. Late in 2016, the Pakistani Senate passed the National Command Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2016, giving it the power to disburse funds to the country's Central government, instead of the finance department, Pakistani newspaper Daily Times had reported.

The NCA has had its share of controversy, with allegations of leaks of nuclear technology surfacing in 2004. Abdul Qadeer Khan, known as "the father of the nuclear bomb", was accused of selling the country's nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya. In the years to come, Pakistan has confirmed that Abdul had, indeed, sold nuclear secrets but has maintained that the government was not in the know about this. Abdul, meanwhile, has gone back and forth on several confessions.

When it comes to relations between India and Pakistan, the nuclear strength of the two countries has often been raked up but has never been on the forefront of tensions. The NCA has repeatedly assured world watchdogs that it would prevent a nuclear showdown and manage the country's assets carefully.

Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.</s>A video released by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday evening showed the captive Indian Air Force officer, Wing Commander Abhinandan, conversing with military officials in a congenial environment and acknowledging that he has been treated well.

Wing Cdr Abhinandan's MiG 21 Bison aircraft was shot down over Pakistani territory earlier in the day along with another Indian jet after they violated the Line of Control. While the other plane crashed in Indian territory, Abhinandan was not so lucky.

He was captured by locals in Azad Kashmir before being taken into custody by Pakistan Army personnel. Videos of his capture showed army soldiers and officers intervening forcefully to save him from a crowd of angry citizens.

A wide cross-section of the Pakistani citizenry had subsequently called for him to be treated with respect and dignity.

"I'd like to put this on record; I will not change my statement even when I go back to my country. The officers of the Pakistan Army have looked after me very well," Abhinandan acknowledged in the video.

"Starting from the captain who rescued me from the mob, from the soldiers, and thereafter the officers of the unit where I was taken to. I would expect my army to behave in the same way. And I'm very impressed with the Pakistan Army."

During the conversation, the official making the video could be heard asking, "Where in India are you from?"

The pilot responded: "Am I supposed to tell you that?" before diplomatically offering that: "I'm from down south."

Upon being asked if he is married, he replied in the affirmative.

"I hope you like the tea?" the officer asked him, to which Abhinandan replied that: "The tea is fantastic, thank you."

The official then asked: "What aircraft were you flying?", to which the pilot responded that: "I'm sorry Major, I'm not supposed to tell you this. But I'm sure you've found the wreckage."

The official then asked him, "What was your mission?"

Nandan again declined to answer, saying: "Sorry, we're not supposed to tell you this."

According to India Times, the Wing Commander was a member of the SKAT — Surya Kiran Acrobatic Team, "which means he's a skilled pilot".

His father is an ex-Indian Air Force officer.

India's Ministry of External Affairs has asked for "his immediate and safe return".

Following PAF's successful strikes earlier in the day and the downing of the two Indian planes, Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation and decision makers in neighbouring India to reiterate his message of peace and offer for dialogue.

"I ask India: with the weapons you have and the weapons we have, can we really afford such a miscalculation? If this escalates, things will no longer be in my control or in Modi's," the prime minister said.

"I once again invite you: we are ready. We understand the grief India has suffered in Pulwama and are ready for any sort of dialogue on terrorism. I reiterate that better sense should prevail. Let's sit together and settle this with talks," the prime minister concluded.</s>The pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, has become the face of the crisis since he was shot down in a rare aerial engagement between the South Asian neighbors over the disputed region of Kashmir

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan said Thursday, February 28, it will release a captured Indian pilot in a "peace gesture," taking a step towards rapprochement as clashes between the nuclear-armed rivals ignited fears of a disastrous conflict.

The pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, has become the face of the crisis since he was shot down in a rare aerial engagement between the South Asian neighbors over the disputed region of Kashmir on Wednesday, February 27.

With anger boiling over his capture in India, analysts have touted him as a potential trump card for Islamabad.

"As a peace gesture we are releasing the Indian pilot tomorrow," Prime Minister Imran Khan told a joint session of parliament.

Parliamentarians stamped their feet in approval at his statement, the first sign of a potential thaw after a dangerous sequence of events between the two countries sent tensions soaring.

Tit-for-tat raids across their hair-trigger border have alarmed world powers including China and the US, who have urged restraint.

Pakistan has said it downed two Indian fighters, while India confirmed it had lost one plane and claimed it had shot down a Pakistani jet.

"I am afraid of miscalculations," Khan said. "We should not even think of war, especially in view of the lethality of the weapons that we have."

However he warned that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi should not misconstrue his desire to de-escalate as "weakness."

"India must know that we will be forced to strongly retaliate against any Indian action in the future," he said.

Wednesday's dogfight and the pilot's capture sparked fears of India and Pakistan – who have fought two wars and countless deadly skirmishes over the Himalayan region – entering a cycle of retaliation and counterattacks that could spiral out of control.

Pakistan has closed its airspace indefinitely, and the army said Thursday its troops were on high alert along the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides Kashmir.

Authorities have tightened security across the country, with hospitals on alert and leave for police and other security officials cancelled in some cities.

With anger boiling in India over Pakistan's capture of the pilot, Modi called on his citizens Thursday to "stand as a wall" in the face of an enemy that "seeks to destabilize India."

Analysts have said the pilot's fate, and his safe release, could prove central to the neighbors pulling back from the brink.

US President Donald Trump has voiced optimism that the tensions could soon be resolved.

"We have had some reasonably decent news... Hopefully that's going to be coming to an end," he said of the crisis, speaking to reporters in Hanoi after a summit there with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The confrontation erupted after a suicide attack in Indian-held Kashmir killed 40 Indian troops on February 14.

New Delhi blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group for the attack. Twelve days later Indian warplanes launched a strike inside Pakistani territory, hitting what it said was a militant training camp.

An infuriated Islamabad denied major casualties or damage, but a day later launched its own incursion across the Line of Control which sparked the dogfight that ended in Abhinandan's capture.

A viral video apparently taken shortly after his plane was shot down purportedly showed Abhinandan being dragged and beaten by a group of men as Pakistani soldiers intervened, shouting "Stop! Stop!"

Mohammad Faisal, the Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters Thursday that the pilot had "some mishap before our officers reached there because he was caught by the public."

But he stressed the pilot was now "with us, he is safe and in good condition."

A video released by the Pakistani military later showed Abhinandan sipping tea, his face swollen and sporting bruises but otherwise collected and calm.

He thanked the "thorough gentlemen" who rescued him from the mob and complimented the tea as "fantastic." It was unclear if he had been coerced to speak.

Kashmir has been divided and disputed by India and Pakistan since 1947. The two countries have fought two of their 3 wars over the region. – Rappler.com</s>Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Pakistan is willing to consider returning the Indian Air Force pilot if it means to de-escalation the tense situation. He was talking to a private news channel on Thursday.

Qureshi said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is ready to hold a telephonic conversation with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

He further added that “I will evaluate the dossier with an open heart and then see if talks will be held on that”.

Tension between the neighboring countries are high since Feb 14, when a suicide bomber killed more than 40 Indian paramilitary troops. India accused Pakistan for the act, but Pakistan has strongly denied it and offered assistance in investigation to India.

Recently Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has shot down two Indian aircrafts. And captured a pilot alive. Now India is demanding his safe return.</s>India on Thursday strongly rejected any probability of a deal with Pakistan to secure the return of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the IAF pilot captured by Pakistan, and insisted on his immediate return, government sources said on Thursday.

The sources said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has to walk the talk on investigating the deadly Pulwama attack and that India wants immediate, credible and verifiable action against terrorists and their proxies.

"India has not asked for any consular access to the IAF pilot. We want him back immediately," a source told a news agency.

Meanwhile, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, "We are willing to return the captured Indian pilot if it leads to de-escalation. Prime Minister Imran Khan is ready to hold a telephonic conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Denouncing Pakistan's breach of the Line of Control, they said their air force "specifically targeted Indian military facilities, while we targeted only Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp".

Tensions between India and Pakistan are at an all-time high since the February 14 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama that left 40 paramilitary troopers dead. On February 26, the Indian Air Force carried out a pre-dawn airstrike deep inside Pakistan's territory in Balakot. The government of India officially called it an "intelligence-led, non-military, pre-emptive action".

The airstrike significantly heightened tensions between India and Pakistan which worsened on February 27, when Pakistani jets and Indian fighters had an aerial confrontation over Jammu and Kashmir. Indian Air Force's MiG-21 fighter jets managed to shoot down a Pakistani jet, something that Islamabad refused.

However, an Indian fighter jet was also "lost" in the confrontation, the government said, and its pilot was "missing in action", as per reports.</s>Pakistan is set to release a captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot today as "a peace gesture", but India yesterday indicated it was not in the mood for reconciliation, saying its military remains on "high alert" and reiterating that Pakistan was the aggressor.

The offer to release Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman came a day after the nuclear-armed neighbours exchanged heavy fire on the ground and in the air.

The pilot was captured by Pakistan following a dog fight between Indian and Pakistani air force jets on Wednesday in the worst escalation of tensions in nearly two decades and their first aerial combat since 1971.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday offered an unconditional release of the pilot, who has emerged as the human face of the conflict and triggered anger and concern in India for his safety.

"We have caught an India pilot, as a peace gesture we will release him," Mr Khan told Pakistan's Parliament yesterday, while warning that his efforts to de-escalate tensions should not be seen as a sign of "weakness".

"I am afraid of miscalculations. We should not even think of war, especially in view of the lethality of the weapons that we have," Mr Khan said.

But India, while thanking Islamabad for its decision to release the IAF pilot, revealed that its army, navy and air force were on "high state of preparedness". Indian officials also said that Pakistan was the aggressor and blamed it for launching air strikes on an Indian military installation. Pakistan has denied the accusation.

"There is high alert along the Line of Control. The mechanised forces are placed on standby. I wish to assure our nation we are fully prepared and there is a heightened state of preparedness," Major-General Surinder Singh Bahl of the Indian Army told a press briefing.

Navy Rear-Admiral D. S. Gujral said the Indian Navy "remains ready on surface, under sea and air" against Pakistan.

Hostilities between the two countries started rising after India launched air strikes against what it said was a terror camp belonging to the Jaish e Mohammed (JeM) group in Pakistan in retaliation for a terror attack in Kashmir that killed 40 paramilitary soldiers. JeM had taken credit for the terror attack.

India on Wednesday had also shared a dossier consisting of what it said were "specific details of JeM complicity in the Pulwama terror attacks and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in Pakistan", and that it had sought "verifiable action" from Pakistan.

In a further sign that India was not in the mood to back down, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is facing a general election in April or May, adopted an aggressive tone yesterday.

"When the enemy tries to destabilise India through a terrorist attack, their motive is also to stop the progress of the country. We have to stand like a wall against their motives," he said during a video conference address to members of his Bharatiya Janata Party.

"The country has a new confidence," he added.

Mr Modi did not directly respond to an offer for dialogue from Mr Khan.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir, and have struggled with their bilateral relations.

New Delhi and Islamabad signed a ceasefire agreement in 2003 but have continued to exchange fire from time to time along the Line of Control or the de facto border between the two countries. India has often blamed Pakistan for using terror as a state policy and has predicated any bilateral dialogue on action against terror groups operating in Pakistan.

Pakistan, on its part, has maintained that Kashmir is the key issue between the two countries, a stance that has prevented any meaningful dialogue between their governments.

Analysts said the pilot's release would not de-escalate current tensions.

"I don't see any substantial change with the IAF pilot being returned," said Dr D. Suba Chandran of the National Institute of Advanced Studies.

"But with this, in Pakistan, Imran Khan is being projected as a statesman and Modi as the aggressor. This is the strategy."</s>Pakistan's announcement that captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan came amid escalating tension between Islamabad and New Delhi.

In an unexpected statement, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan said during the joint session of parliament that Abhinandan will be released on Friday "as a peace gesture". "In our desire for peace, I announce that tomorrow (Friday), and as a first step to open negotiations, Pakistan will be releasing the IAF officer in our custody," he said, as lawmakers greeted the decision by thumping their desks.

The move, which was widely hailed by the Indian side, came just hours after Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the Pakistani leader is ready for telephonic talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to deescalate the tensions. India earlier sent a strong message to Pakistan, rejecting the possibility of any deal for securing the release of the pilot and demanding his unconditional and immediate repatriation.

India Today and CNN-News18 reported that Abhinandan will be return to India via Wagah border on Friday and be accompanied by outgoing defence attache of Pakistan. Pakistani Air Force on Wednesday carried out a retaliatory strike across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and attempted to target military installations, a day after Indian struck inside Pakistan, destroying the biggest terrorist training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

During a fierce aerial engagement with Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighters on the LoC, Abhinandan landed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after his MiG 21 was brought down. India mounted pressure on Pakistan through the international community, with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval holding talks with the US and other P-5 countries on Wednesday.

As international pressure grew for India and Pakistan to show restraint, US president Donald Trump said earlier on Thursday that the US has some "reasonably attractive news" from the two countries.

"We have been involved in trying to help them (India and Pakistan) stop and we have some reasonably decent news," he said in his opening statement at a press conference at the end of his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi.

"I think hopefully that (tensions) could be coming to an end, it has been going on for a long time," said Trump amid efforts by back-channel interlocutors to defuse the tensions that spiked after the Pulwama suicide attack by a JeM bomber on 14 February in which at least 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

The Indian Air Force Thursday said it is very happy that Abhinandan is returning home but dismissed suggestions it was a goodwill gesture, insisting it was in line with the Geneva Conventions.

"We are very happy Abhinandan will be freed tomorrow and look forward to his return," Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor, Assistant Chief of Air Staff said. He was addressing the media along with the representatives of the army and the navy, who both said the armed forces were on high alert and ready to meet any security challenge on land and sea.

Kapoor said it was up to the political leadership to decide when and how to release evidence of the Balakot strike's success. He was responding to a question on the scepticism in some quarters about whether IAF fighters had hit the intended targets. Kapoor said there is credible information and evidence that "we hit the intended targets" and it was premature to assess the casualties and damage. The IAF showed parts of Amraam missiles as proof that Pakistan used F-16 aircraft to attack Indian military establishments on Wednesday.

Kapoor accused Pakistan of lying that no F-16 was used, and said there was enough evidence. Stating that Pakistan aircraft targeted military installations, he added that PAF bombs were unable to damage any of India's defence installations. Major General SS Mahal said escalation of tensions had been done by Pakistan but India was prepared for any contingency if the enemy provoked it.

Mechanised forces were put on standby and troops were ready to deal with any security challenge, he said. Rear Admiral of the Indian Navy Dalbir Singh Gujral said the force was in a high state of readiness to deal with any Pakistan maritime misadventure. The joint press conference by the three services came after Modi held a security review meeting in New Delhi.

Prior to the news of his release, Abhinandan's father said he was proud of his son's bravery and thanked the people for their support and good wishes. In a statement, S Varthaman, a retired Air Marshal, referring to a purported video of his son after his capture, said he spoke like a "true soldier" despite being in captivity and that he was praying he would not get tortured, and return home "safe and sound".

Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.</s>Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, will be released from Pakistan tomorrow. He was taken into Pakistan's custody after an aerial combat in which he shot down Pakistan's F-16 fighter jet. A video of him sipping tea was released by Pakistan in which he said that he was being 'well looked after" by the officers of the Pakistani Army.

Abhinandan Varthaman comes from a family which has served the country for generations.

While his father S Varthaman was an Air Marshall with the Indian Air Force and an ace pilot himself, his grandfather, Simhakutty, had served the nation during World War II in the Air Force.

His father, who is a recipient of several honours including a Param Vishisht Seva Medal, said, "Abhi is alive, not injured, sound in mind, just look at the way he talked so bravely... a true soldier... we are so proud of him."

According to a defence release issued in 2011, when the retired Air Marshal took charge as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command, he was among a few select pilots to hold the distinction of having flown 40 types of aircraft with over 4000 flying hours.

During the Kargil conflict, he was the Chief Operations Officer of Gwalior and he was in command of an operational airbase in the western sector at the time of Operation Parakram following the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament.

Abhinandan Varthaman's father was also a consultant for Mani Ratnam-directed Tamil film "Kaatru Veliyidai", which has a striking similarity with his real life.

In the movie, the hero played the role of an Indian Air Force officer and lands in Pakistan after his jet was shot down. He was later reunited with his family in the film.

"I am sure all your hands and blessings are on his head... prayers for his safe return. I pray that he does not get tortured and comes home safe and sound in body and mind," the father was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

There has been an outpour of emotions from across the country ever since the Wing Commander got captured yesterday. #BringBackAbhinandan, #AbhinandanMyHero, #MeraJawanSabseMajboot trended on microblogging site Twitter

Well-wishers and political leaders are continuing to express solidarity with the family of the Indian Air Force pilot.

Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar praised the pilot's parents for their courage adding it was unforgettable.

DMDK Treasurer Premalatha who met the pilot's family said, "Abhinandan's parents are facing the situation bravely. I was moved when his mother said she was a proud mother to see the whole nation praying for the safe return of her son."



(With Inputs From PTI)
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says that captured Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman will be released tomorrow as a gesture of peace.