Our prayers are with the brave IAF pilot & his family in this very difficult time Under Article 3 of Geneva Conven… https://t.co/wv7EiLMSN5 — Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) 1551262305000 HYDERABAD: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday expressed concern for the Indian pilot who was "missing in action" and said Pakistan must respect its obligations under the Geneva Conventions "Our prayers are with the brave IAF pilot & his family in this very difficult time.Under Article 3 of Geneva Conventions every party is required to treat prisoners humanely. Pakistan must respect its obligations towards the IAF pilot, regardless of ongoing circumstances," Owaisi tweeted.Pakistan has used its air force to target military installations in India in response to Indian counter-terrorism operations but their attempts were foiled successfully though one Indian pilot is "missing in action", external affairs ministry said Wednesday.In a very brief press statement, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, accompanied by Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor, also said details are being ascertained about Pakistan's claim of having captured one Indian pilot.<doc-sep>Pakistan Air Force jet shot down; Indian pilot ‘missing in action’ Pakistan official summoned IAF's Mi-17 transport chopper crashes in J&K's Budgam, five dead Pakistan army spokesperson claims two Indian jets shot down, one pilot arrested In response to PAF strikes this morning as released by MoFA, IAF crossed LOC. PAF shot down two Indian aircrafts in… https://t.co/mH0HhZjsbR — Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) 1551248355000 Defence sources deny Pakistan's claim Flight operations resume after being temporarily shut Pakistan closes airports of major cities (Image courtesy: Flight Radar 24) Ceasefire violation by Pakistan across LOC One Mig 21 Bison of the Indian Air Force was shot down and its pilot has been ‘missing in action’, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Wednesday. Kumar also told reporters that one fighter jet of Pakistan Air Force was also shot down in the aerial engagement by IAF's Mig 21 Bison. The Pakistani jet was seen falling down on the other side by the Indian ground forces, he said. "We lost one Mig 21 jet and the pilot is missing in action. Pakistan has claimed that the pilot is in their custody. We have to ascertain these facts," Kumar said.The air-to-air engagement took place after PAF jets violated Indian air space to target military installations on the Indian side.The press briefing came soon after reports emerged that jets from Pakistan Air Force have violated Indian air space in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Nowshera sectors. The attack was successfully repelled by the Indian AIr Force, Kumar added.Pakistan deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah summoned by the ministry of external affairs, according to ANI.Meanwhile, five persons died after a Mi-17 transport chopper crashed in Budgam district, reported ANI.One of the deceased persons has been identified as Kifayat Hussain Ganaie, a loc al resident, while the identity of other four -- believed to be IAF personnel -- is being ascertained, officials said.Spokesperson of Pakistan armed forces, Major General Asif Ghafoor, in a tweet, claimed that two Indian Air Force jets were shot down by Pakistan Air Force and one Indian pilot was also arrested.However, briefing the media, he added that Pakistan had "no engagement with Indian aircraft which crashed on the Indian side (in Budgam)".There are no reports of any IAF jet suffering damage in action by India's adversaries, PTI reported quoting defence sources.Flight operations in North India resumed after they were temporarily suspended in the wake of the security situation along the Pakistan border. Flight operations resumed after NOTAM (Notice to Airmen to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route) was withdrawn, reported ANI.On Wednesday morning, airports of Srinagar, Jammu, Leh and several other cities were closed for civilian air traffic. "The civilian air traffic has been suspended temporarily in view of the emergency," an official of the Airport Authority of India told PTI.Flight operations were also been suspended at Amritsar and Dehradun airport, reported ANI.Entire airspace north of Delhi vacated: official sources. Pakistan air space too was closed, AFP reported quoting Pakistan's aviation authority.Pakistan immediately stopped its domestic and international flight operations from Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Islamabad airports, reported ANI.Flight operations were suspended across major airports in Pakistan's Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.International flights that transit between Indian and Pakistani airspace now being affected. Some flights returning to origin, while others appear to be seeking alternate routing.On Wednesday, Pakistan violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector in Baramulla district, officials said. The Indian Army strongly retaliated and effectively to the cross border firing.<doc-sep>He added that he did not want to talk about his capture but said that "all officers are trained for this and I am sure he will be with us shortly and join his unit again soon."<doc-sep>National Conference leader Omar Abdullah (AP photo) SRINAGAR: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should suspend all his political activities till the missing Indian Air Force pilot returns home safely. India Wednesday said the pilot went missing after the IAF foiled Pakistan Air Force 's attack on military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan claims the pilot is its custody. "PM Modi must suspend his political activities until #WingCommanderAbhinandan is returned safely. It can't be business as usual with him crisscrossing the country at taxpayer expense making political speeches while our pilot is a Pakistani captive," Abdullah said in a series of tweets. The former chief minister also appealed to Pakistan to treat the Indian Air Force pilot well. "In the meantime, Pakistan please treat him as you would have us treat one of your men in uniform should he be unfortunate enough to be captured on this side of the border," he said. "Thoughts with the family, friends & colleagues of #WingCommanderAbhinandan. Prayers for his early & safe return home to all those eagerly waiting for him," he added.<doc-sep>
Abhinandan's education BENGALURU: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman , the pilot who is suspected to be in Pakistan's custody and declared as a missing pilot is not the first from his family to serve in the Indian Air Force IAF ). His father, Air Marshal (retd) S Varthaman, who last served as Eastern Air Command chief, had even seen action during Kargil.An experienced test pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours on 40 types of aircraft to his credit, Varthaman senior had joined the IAF as a fighter pilot in 1973.The IAF, in 2011 had said, "During the Kargil conflict , Varthaman was the chief operations officer of Gwalior where he used his flight test experience to co-ordinate upgradation of the Mirage 2000 aircraft that proved instrumental in the success of the air campaign. "Incidentally, it was the Mirage 2000 that was the preferred choice for India to conduct pre-dawn air strikes in Pakistan on Tuesday, as a retaliation to which Pakistan sent in its F-16 fighters on Wednesday, while engaging with which his son, Abhinandan had to eject.Also, during Operation Parakram-launched after the 2001 Parliament attack-Varthaman was in command of an airbase in the western sector.Among the many key positions Varthaman held in his 41-year career, he was also posted as the Chief Test Pilot of Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), in Bengaluru. "It was during this time that his family was also here. Abhinandan went to school in Bengaluru for a brief while," a retired wing commander from ASTE, who is acquainted with Varthaman told TOI. "He still frequents Bengaluru, although they are settled in Chennai now. Varthaman, as test pilots are required to be, is a man of precision, but it is his composure that I recollect most," the officer said. Varthaman was also the Chief Flying Instructor at Fighter Training Wing, Hakimpet.