DNA Edit: Return of the hero – Pakistan stands self-exposed, needs to introspect

The whole nation breathed a sigh of relief as its hero, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman — who brought down a mighty F-16 with his MiG 21, which is compared archaic in terms of warfare when compared with the former — returning home safe. Pakistan, and in particular their Prime Minister Imran Khan, may have tried to occupy a high moral ground by offering to release Abhinandan unconditionally, but the truth remains that the neighbour was further unmasked by our service chiefs who provided evidence of the missile shot from Pakistani F-16 jet. Imran Khan tried to claim to return Abhinandan as a ‘gesture of peace’, but as the service chiefs pointed out, returning of a war prisoner was mandatory under the third Geneva Convention, signed by 196 countries, including both India and Pakistan. 

The convention applies to all cases of declared war or of any other armed conflict which may arise between two or more of the signatories, even if the state of war is not recognised by one of them. Imran Khan’s bluff thus stands exposed. Abhinandan Varthaman, meanwhile, has done something that no other fighter pilot has done before — bringing down the US F-16 that Pakistan Air Force thought was invincible. There is an old adage that says it’s the hand behind the gun and not the gun that counts. Abhinandan and indeed Indian armed forces have proved this repeatedly. Pakistan has always benefitted from superior weaponry supplied by the US war industry, even as India has had to rely on archaic technology and weapons. But the skill and will of Indian security forces have always outgunned Pakistan several times. 

Pakistani forces’ debacle in the battle of Asal Uttar near Khem Karan in 1965 is the most cited example of this where Pakistan brought in Patton tanks, then considered the most feared MBT (Main Battle Tank). But despite this, skilled strategising by Indian forces and brave-hearts like Abdul Hamid, who singlehandedly destroyed nine tanks with his recoilless gun, forced Pakistan to eat humble pie. Our neighbour will be taught this lesson repeatedly by our forces until it really understands it. It is also for nations like the US to see where their weapons are being used. The missile that was shot at India’s MiG 21 was supplied by the US and was meant to be used against terrorists. 

This is not the first time that the US weapons meant for use against terrorists or Taliban have been used by Pakistan elsewhere or have simply landed in the hands of Jihadists. It is not enough that the US stopped its aid. Clearly, Pakistan needs to be punished more and India has shown we can and we will do that. Last but not least, Pakistan must introspect how India became the Guest of Honour at the Organisation of Islamic Corporation while Pakistan was forced to boycott it. A large part of the world has seen through Pakistan’s veil and has seen its real face, that of terror.