February 23, 2026 06:35 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Rahul Gandhi slams Modi as ‘compromised’, says PM can’t renegotiate India-US trade deal | Terror alert in Delhi: LeT may target Chandni Chowk with IED, say reports | US Supreme Court shocks Donald Trump on tariffs — but India may still end up paying more | PM Modi warns ‘AI must not control humans’ as India unveils bold tech vision at AI Impact Summit 2026 | Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to life over failed martial law bid | Tata Group joins hands with OpenAI in massive AI push to transform India and global industries | Epstein Files row: Bill Gates to skip keynote address at AI Summit 2026 | AI Impact Summit: Google launches game-changing America-India Connect plan with $15 billion backing | AI takes centre stage as Modi meets Google CEO Sundar Pichai in Delhi | G7 Spotlight: Emmanuel Macron invites Narendra Modi for 2026 Summit

Sania Mirza welcomes Abhinandan to India

| @indiablooms | Mar 02, 2019, at 06:40 pm

Dubai, Mar 2 (IBNS): Indian Tennis star Sania Mirza has welcomed the return of Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan to his mother land after he was released by Pakistan on Friday.

"Welcome back Wing Commander Abhinandan .. you are our HERO in the truest sense.. The country salutes you and the bravery and dignity you have shown #Respect #WelcomeBackAbinandan Jai Hind," Mirza, whose husband is Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik, tweeted.

A day after the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted surgical strike, Abhinandan was captured when his MiG-21 Bison fighter had fallen across the Line of Control in Pak-Occuppied Kashmir (PoK) on Feb 27, when the Indian pilot was engaged in a dogfight with an intruding Pakistani F-16 fighter jet.

He was taken into the custody by Pakistan army.

After India refused to sit across the table with its neighbouring country, which was facing an immense international pressure since Feb 14 Pulwama attack, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced he will send Abhinandan to his own soil as a "peace gesture".

Abhinandan finally reached India through the Wagah border at around 9 pm on Friday.

 

Image: Sania Mirza Twitter page

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.