Hours after, in a joint parliament session, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday announced to release Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman the next day, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has extended his wish of receiving Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from the Wagah border, to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Chief Minister in his tweet said, “It will be a(an) honour for me to go and receive him, as he (Abhinandan) and his father are alumnus(alumni) of the NDA as I am.” Amarinder added in the tweet that he is currently touring border areas of Punjab and is presently in Amritsar.
Dear @narendramodi ji , I’m touring the border areas of Punjab & I’m presently in Amritsar. Came to know that @pid_gov has decided to release #AbhinandanVartaman from Wagha. It will be a honour for me to go and receive him, as he and his father are alumnus of the NDA as I am.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 28, 2019
Reports emerging suggest that Group Captain JD Kurien who is an Air Attache to Pakistan will bring the IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan to India via Wagah border.
Earlier, another Congress MLA from the state, Navjot Singh Sidhu welcomed the move by the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Sidhu tweeted, saying, “Every noble act makes a way for itself” and that Khan’s “goodwill gesture is a cup of joy for a billion people.” Sidhu further adds that he is “overjoyed for his (Abhinandan’s) parents and loved ones”.
Tensions between India and Pakistan reached high on Wednesday as the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar in a press bring on Wednesday afternoon, confirmed that an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot has gone missing in action and has acknowledged that Pakistan has claimed that the pilot is in their captivity.
The captured IAF pilot is Abhinandan Varthaman, a MiG 21 Bison pilot. This comes after the conflict between Indian and Pakistan escalated on Wednesday after the Pakistan Air Force violated Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Nowshera sectors. While Indian officials said that a Pakistani Air Force F-16 fighter jet was shot down in Jammu, Pakistan has claimed to have shot down two IAF aircraft and arrested two pilots.
IAF Pilot Abhinandan Varthaman to return tomorrow: Here’s how netizens reacted to the good news
