Samikhsya Bureau
“…..We want to see him back,” the Indian Air Force has said welcoming the announcement of the release of the captured pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan from Pakistan custody.
A delegation of Indian Air Force team will on Friday arrive at Wagah border to receive the Wing Commander Abhinandan, whose father too has been a decorated IAF officer, sources said.
Meanwhile, a former army officer and the incumbent Punjab chief Captain Amarinder Singh has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be part of the delegation to receive him saying it will be a “honour” to receive the valiant pilot as he and his father are alumnus of the National Defence Academy where Captain Amarinder too has been.
The Congress leader tweeted: “Dear Narendra Modi ji, I am touring the border areas of Punjab and I am presently in Amritsar. Came to know that Paksitan has decided to release Abhinandan 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”.
Senior Air Force officer Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor told media persons here on Thursday that the release of pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan is happening “in consonance with Geneva Convention”.
Wing Commander Abhinandan’s MiG 21 was shot after he actually also brought down one Pakistani F-16 fighter on February 27.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in Parliament on Thursday that the pilot would be released as a “peace gesture”.
“We are happy that our pilot who had fallen across the line of control and was in the custody of Pakistan is being released. We are extremely happy, we want to see him back. Once he reaches back and is handed over to us we will then make any further comment,” Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor has said.
India on Wednesday and Thursday insisted that there should be immediate and safe return of the pilot.
The Indian government officials had also made it clear that there would be no deal.
The refrain from the Indian side being – New Delhi expects him to return immediately and there is no question of a deal on the matter. Indian position has been crystal clear – pilot Abhinandan has to return unharmed, unconditionally and immediately.
Wing Commander Abhinandan ha brought down a F-16 fighter jet of Pakistan Air Force by firing an R-73 air-to-air missile before his jet was hit.
A day after India carried out aerial strike, Pakistan had launched a retaliatory raid trying to target Indian defence facilities in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pakistani attempt was, however, foiled.
YouTube asked to remove Abhinandan video
In the meanwhile, smarting under 1999 pressure tactics generated after IC 814 hijack, the Modi government has decided to deal firmly with the public perception and propaganda war vis-a-vis the powerful social network and internet campaign.
Accordingly, the YouTube run by Google was asked to remove around a dozen video links pertaining to Wing Commander Abhinandan. The government officials in various ministries including Home and IT have since February 27 said that the country is no mood to allow ‘the morale and mood’ of the nation to be decided by one or two videos.
The refrain has been what is at stake is national interests and national security and in no circumstances, Pakistan should be allowed to use one video or two to change the mood of the nation that India can be held hostage by such strategies.
Pakistani had played up the same game using Indian population and a section of media in 1999 after the IC814 was hijacked.
“I appeal to social media players that while this government is in favour of freedom of speech and expression, it is also important that their platforms should not be allowed to be misused,” Union IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
The IT Ministry’s decision came close on the heels of directives from the the Union home ministry. “The Indian democracy celebrates freedom of expression and ideas but in the light of the current situation, we expect social media to ensure that their platforms are not abused and country’s morale is weakened,” Prasad has said.
Sources later said the videos were removed following the government directive. It was also announced that internet giant Google, which operates YouTube, has a policy to remove such material whenever valid requests and directives come from the government authorities. Videos released on social network under ‘Hashtags like #BringbackAbhinandan, #SayNoToWar’ seen by the central government as more of a ‘campaign’ intended to weaken India’s determined fight against terror.
(With agency input)
