Welcoming Abhinandan

Wing Commander Abhinandan faced air crash in a dog fight with Pakistani F-16 fighter aircrafts trespassing into Indian territory and as he bailed out, he landed some 7 Kms inside LOC in Pakistani territory. As the story goes, he was captured by villagers, manhandled and then handed over to the local Pakistani army unit further action. Pakistan is using this capture of an Indian Airforce officer as a triumph of sorts after India’s air strikes at terrorists’ camps in Balakot. Of course, there is an Indian version of one Pakistani F-16 shot down and its pilot killed, while Pakistani version is of another Surya Kiran aircraft shot down by them apart from MIG-21 that was being flown by Pakistan. There are also news if Abhinandan’s valour, poise and grace and how he destroyed incriminating documents before getting captured by throwing them into water and swallowing some. This is the stuff folklores are made of.

Without bringing an element of patriotism or undue national fervour, there is again an element of dharma and adharma here! India made it clear that its war was not against Pakistan, the nation, but against terrorists responsible for Pulwama carnage. However, Pakistani action is clearly an effort to hide its years of misdeeds in promoting and fostering terrorism in the name of Kashmir and what not!

No sane person on either side of Indo-Pakistan border wants war. War is going to cause wholesale destruction of mankind and establishments. But India is facing this warlike situation everyday in the form of terrorism and there is direct linkage of all this to Pakistan, it’s army, ISI and other hawkish elements. They open road to Kartarpur, but encourage separatist elements by harbouring them and eulogising them as Jihadis and freedom fighters. They call Indian security personnel getting killed in dime and dozen everyday in terrorist actions as oppressors, calling the militants as martyrs. Their support to Kashmiri cause is a great cover-up for their overall strategy to destabilise India and avenge past military defeats.

Will the sanity prevail in Pakistan to do something constructive instead of destructive? Will they stop shedding crocodile tears on the plight of Kashmiris and let India handle its internal matters in the manner as it deems fit? Will they gracefully handover Wing Commander Abhinandan to India in the spirit of Geneva convention and take at least one step to rise as a nation of stature instead of nation of internal and external strifes?

Let’s pray to the God almighty that we welcome back our hero Abhinandan today as promised by Pakistan! After all isn’t the word Abhinandan itself means to welcome, felicitate or greet? His welcome return to India may in fact set the welcome tone for peace process and an army officer, usually a representative of aggression and war may end up becoming messiah of peace!

Long live Abhinandan and and may Indian army, airforce and navy be the mightiest in the world promoting and defending ighteousness!

Jai hind!