News is flashing in India about a statement by Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq who claimed that fearing an attack by India, the Pakistan government was quickly forced to release Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.
In a speech in the National Assembly, Sadiq said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had in an important meeting pointed out that if Pakistan did not release Abhinandan Varthaman, India would attack Pakistan “that night by 9 pm,”, Indian news agency ANI reported.
Dunya News quoted Sadiq making this claim in Parliament. The PML-N leader told opposition leaders that Qureshi in a meeting with the parliamentary leaders, including PPP and PML-N and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, had asked for Abhinandan to be released.
“I remember Shah Mahmood Qureshi was in the meeting which Imran Khan had refused to attend and Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa came into the room, his legs were shaking and he was perspiring. Foreign Minister said for God’s sake let Abhinandan go, India’s about to attack Pakistan at 9 PM”, Sadiq recounted the events of the important meeting.
ANI citing Dunya News further quoted Sadiq as saying that the opposition has supported the government in all issues including Abhinandan but will not be able to further support it.
In 2019, Indian Air Force’s Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was held captive by Pakistan after his MiG-21 Bison was shot down in a dogfight over the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between India and Pakistan in Kashmir.
Following the shooting down of his Russian-origin jet, Abhinandan safely ejected only to descend down to Horran village approximately 7 kilometers off the LoC, where a violent mob of villagers captured and pounded him till he was rescued by the Pakistani Army.
The 37-year-old Indian pilot showed immense bravery by swallowing his documents and refusing to share any mission details. After intense 60 hours, he was handed back to the Indian government.
