Abhinandan's return
PM Modi snubbed Imran Khan's call: Ex-diplomat reveals how India secured pilot Abhinandan's return from Pak
Former High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria, has revealed some untold secrets about the return of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan where he said that India's message was loud and clear that if Islamabad doesn’t return Varthaman (now a Group Captain), New Delhi will escalate the situation.
Bisaria, a High Commissioner to Pakistan in 2019, in his new book 'Anger Management', has highlighted some volatile periods between India and Pakistan ranging from the issue of terrorism in Kashmir to the capture of Abhinandan Varthaman, the Indian Air Force Pilot deployed after the Balakot's Air Strikes to repel an attack by Pakistan's Air Force
The book reveals how India secured the freedom of Abhinandan Varthaman who spent 60 hours in Pakistan captivity.
Bisaria revealed that Pakistan PM Imran Khan tried to reach PM Modi on a late-night call but was snubbed.
Eventually, Pakistan was "spooked" by India's "serious threat of escalation".
“After Pulwama, India had taken action in Balakot, and that was followed by Pakistan`s operation, which it called swift retort in India and as a result of which, an Indian pilot, Abhinandan, was captured. I have tried to present an account of the coercive diplomacy that took place after that, to get the pilot back," Bisaria said in an interview with ANI.
"There was a very credible threat of force and use of nine missiles...Pakistan made the choice of returning the pilot, not wanting to escalate that conflict. In trying to de-escalate the situation, the Prime Minister of Pakistan attempted to call the Prime Minister of India. The Pakistani PM was then felt obliged to take a decision because the threat of force was very credible to return the pilot in order not to escalate the situation,” he said.
#WATCH | Former High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria says "Right after the Pulwama attack, I came to India and I was part of the team which was monitoring the situation and dealing with it. The message that was going to Pakistan at that point was very clear that India was… pic.twitter.com/JSKoUu5fFy
— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2024
Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who had shot down Pakistan Air Force's F-16 fighter jet in a dogfight after the Pulwama terror attack, was captured by Islamabad in 2019.
After almost three days, Varthaman was handed over to India as a "peace gesture" by the neighbouring country amid international pressure.
The dogfight took place when India had countered the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, which was carried out by the Pakistan-based militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), with an airstrike.
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