Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s “legs were shaking” while Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a meeting of parliamentary leaders that India was about to attack their country, said a Pakistani lawmaker as he recounted the events of February 2019 meeting during which the Imran Khan government decided to release Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.
In a speech in the National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had in an important meeting pointed out that if Pakistan did not release Wing Commander Varthaman, India would attack Pakistan “that night by 9 pm.”
He added, “There was no attack from India, but they wanted to bend on their knees to India and send Abhinandan back. So I request them to not talk about such things, forcing us to talk about such things. Talk things which enhance productivity, get legislation done.”
In a high-altitude dogfight that ensued, flying a 1960s aircraft, Wing Commander Abhinandan used his close-combat R73 missile to shoot down a Pakistani F-16, on February 27, 2019, but was captured himself by Pakistan Army. He spent days in Pakistan’s custody after his MiG-21 aircraft was shot down by the Pakistan Army and was released on March 1, 2019, by the Pakistan forces, as per the Geneva Convention agreement. He has been awarded the Vir Chakra on Independence Day by President Ram Nath Kovind, for his exemplary bravery.
