Even as India celebrated the return of its brave heart, IAF Wing Commander, Abhinandan Varthaman, the PAF F-16 pilot who had ejected after being shot down and landed in Pakistan has reportedly been lynched by a mob in Nowshera. A London based lawyer has also claimed that the PAF pilot was hospitalised but he succumbed to his injuries. India is elated by the return of Wing Commander, Abhinandan Varthaman, Pakistan and its media has been trying to undermine the grave tragedy that unfolded in the case of Pakistani pilot, Wing Commander Shahaz-ud-Din.
On one hand, Wing Commander, Abhinandan Varthaman fought against difficult odds. He was flying a MiG-21 fighter, which is on the verge of retirement and is seen as almost obsolete in today’s time. He lost his fighter during an aerial combat, ejected and landed in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. He was taken captive by the Pakistan military. However, the Pakistanis were rattled by India’s diplomatic offensive and were forced to send him back to India. On the other hand, the PAF pilot was flying an F-16 fighter which is far superior to the MiG 21, which is nearing retirement. After his fighter was shot down, he had landed in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. However, what followed may very well be one of the most tragic events in a soldier’s life in the history of international conflict.
After he landed, the PAF pilot was mercilessly beaten and lynched by the Pakistani locals who mistook the Pakistani pilot to be an Indian. While the Pakistani pilot was able to survive a catastrophic crash, the mob lynched him to death, which clearly shows the Pakistani hatred for India and its citizens. As per OneIndia, sources say that the uniform of the Pakistani pilot was torn when he landed. The source added, “To make the matters worse, the locals considered him of being an Indian pilot and beat him up very badly till he fell unconscious. Local police took him to the hospital, and the army was informed that an Indian pilot has been captured. Probably, this is the reason that without ascertaining the fact the Pakistani army claimed capturing two Indian pilots in order to address the emotions of Pakistanis.”
It is clear that for the people of Pakistan, hatred towards India is a greater priority than a sense of affinity towards their own men. Pakistani military establishment and media have like always forgotten the sacrifice of its own soldier. Pakistan is still more concerned about spreading negative propaganda about India and misreporting the true turn of events. The terrorist country has clearly blacked out the unfortunate tragedy that claimed its pilot’s life. While India fought hard and succeeded in bringing back Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, Pakistan is not even talking about Wing Commander Shahaz-ud-Din. This explains the stark difference between the polity and culture of the two countries.