Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman meets Abhinandan

Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan, who was returned to India by Pakistan late Friday night on Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s order, was transported to a hospital in New Delhi, where he has been going through an extensive medical evaluation as part of a “cooling down” process, which is expected to go on till Sunday.

A recently released photo by media shows the Wing Commander meeting with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in his hospital room. Ms. Sitharaman reportedly told Abhinandan that the entire nation was proud of his courage and determination. The IAF pilot also briefed her on his 58-hour captivity in Pakistan.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by the Pakistani Army on Wednesday after his MiG-21 Bison fighter jet was hit by Pakistan Air Force jets near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. He was returned to India at the Attari-Wagah border at 9.15 pm on Friday night.