Breaking |

Breaking |

Very happy Abhindandan will return tomorrow, expected it under Geneva Conventions
Published : Mar 1, 2019, 10:15 am IST
Updated : Mar 1, 2019, 10:17 am IST
SHARE ARTICLE
Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor
Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor

Very happy Abhindandan will return tomorrow, expected it under Geneva Conventions, says IAF

New Delhi, March 1: The Indian Air Force said it is very happy that captured pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is returning home but dismissed suggestions that 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 R G K Kapoor, assistant chief of Air Staff, told a news conference. 

Varthaman's MiG 21 was shot and he bailed out after bringing down two Pakistani F-16 fighters during a dogfight to repel a Pakistani attack on Wednesday morning, he said. He has been in Pakistan since then. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in Parliament on Thursday that Varthaman would be released on Friday as a "peace gesture". Asked if the IAF sees it as a goodwill move, he said, "We see it as a gesture in consonance with the Geneva Conventions." 

Advertisement

Wing Commander Abhinandan VarthamanWing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman

He was addressing the media along with the representatives of the Army and the Navy, who both said the armed forces are on high alert and ready to meet any security challenge on land and sea. Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. It came 12 days after the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.

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 that there was some scepticism 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.

Advertisement

Location: India, Delhi, New Delhi

SHARE ARTICLE

ROZANA SPOKESMAN

Advertisement
Advertisement

Punjab Weather Monsoon Update: Situation worsens in Punjab after rainfall, Punjab Heavy Rain

11 Jul 2025 3:56 PM

Drainage issue of Kharar— Will MLA Anmol Gagan Maan Solve? exclusive interview

11 Jul 2025 3:52 PM

Photos of Jaspreet, Killed in Tailor Murder Case Encounter, Surface Showing Him Posing with Weapons

10 Jul 2025 6:17 PM

Abohar Tailor Murder Case Sanjay Verma, photo of Sandeep Jakhar with the accused in the Abohar case

10 Jul 2025 6:11 PM

Gujarat's Vadodara: 43-Year-Old Bridge Collapses

09 Jul 2025 3:58 PM

In Punjab, brazen youths tried to dump a girl's body in a sack – locals caught them

09 Jul 2025 3:44 PM
Advertisement