The fighter pilot cut a figure of poise and valour as he walked across the Wagah-Attari border to step on Indian soil on Friday night.
The Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who spent 60 hours in enemy captivity, is undergoing a detailed medical examination and intensive debriefing before resuming flying. News agency ANI reported sources as saying that the IAF pilot informed the top brass of Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday that he was subjected to mental harassment, but not physically tortured by Pakistan military authorities.
The fighter pilot cut a figure of poise and valour as he walked across the Wagah-Attari border to step on Indian soil on Friday night. He was immediately whisked away by senior Indian Air Force officials waiting at Zero line, ending hours of excruciating delay caused by the Pakistan army in releasing India's braveheart.
He arrived in Delhi just a few minutes short of midnight and is currently in an Air Force medical facility for his 'cooling off' period. He met Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday morning where is said to have shown high spirit. The Raksha Mantri is said to have enquired about his health and conveyed that the whole country is proud of his courage and determination.
Counselling and debriefing before Abhinandan resumes flying
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is said to have personally overseen Abhinandan's handover. Khan arrived in Lahore on Friday afternoon, a couple of hours before the Wing Commander was brought to the Wagah border from Islamabad amid high security. "PM Khan's main purpose of being in the town was to oversee the smooth handing over of the captured Indian pilot," an official source said.
The 'cooling off period' will continue for the next few days where the pilot will undergo medical tests, counselling and debriefing. He will be assessed for physical and psychological harm and examined for signs of trauma.
Operational and intelligence debriefing is the most significant step, in which senior IAF and intelligence officials will hold multiple counselling sessions with Wing Commander Abhinandan. He will be walked through the 60 hours he spent in captivity – right from the time he ejected from his MiG-21 Bison till he walked across the Zero line.
"The process will ascertain whether he has been indoctrinated by the enemy, though the possibility of this is negligible, given the strong determination, Wg Cdr Abhinandan displayed in confinement, and also because he was captive for only two days. He will come out unscathed in this evaluation," explained former Air Marshal VK Bhatia. "The officials will also try to gauge the impact of the incident on his psyche. He will also be asked about any information Pakistan tried to pry out of him," said former the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command during the Kargil War.
Air Marshal Bhatia also indicated that Abhinandan may be asked to resume flying immediately after the debriefing. "One usually hurts their back during ejection, but the visuals showed him walking in ramrod straight. He looked fit as a fiddle, so he should be back to flying once the debriefing is over," he said.
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 "Nirmala Sitharaman visits Abhinandan Varthaman")
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