My Facebook posts on Indian Air Force pilot in custody of Pakistan

FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2426496810900215, 27th Feb. 2019

According to Indian Ministry of External Affairs, https://www.mea.gov.in/media-briefings.htm?dtl/31098/Statement_by_Official_Spokesperson_on_27_February_2019, Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets engaged with some Pakistan Air Force intruding fighter jets and shot down one of them, today (27th Feb. 2019) morning. India, unfortunately, lost one MIG-21 fighter plane and its pilot is missing in action.

Pakistan claims that it has one IAF pilot in its custody (and some Pakistani reports claim that another person is in a Pakistani hospital). A video from Pakistan purportedly showing this pilot is also circulating in social media. But as I don't see any major Indian news channel carrying it, I don't want to share that link.

My prayers to God for the well being of the Missing In Action Indian Air Force pilot as well as any other person from Indian armed forces who may be missing as a consequence of this battle in the air between Indian and Pakistani fighter planes.
-----

FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2426587734224456, 27th Feb. 2019

Times of India report: Pakistan army now says it has only one IAF pilot in custody; Youtube video claims to show IAF pilot in custody being treated well by Pakistan army

Pak army takes U-turn; says 'only one' Indian pilot under its custody, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pak-army-takes-u-turn-says-only-one-indian-pilot-under-its-custody/articleshow/68187655.cms

The fog of disinformation seems to be clearing up. Looks like Pakistan has only one Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot in their custody and not two (with one being in hospital) as claimed earlier.

I also saw a youtube video [don't want to share the link] of what seems to be a Pakistani News channel showing what Pakistan claims to be the captured IAF pilot where the IAF pilot is drinking tea and thanks the Pakistan army for saving him from the mob and treating him well. Unfortunately, the mob seems to have hurt him in the initial period of his capture (as per other videos on social media).

About the physically abusive behaviour by the mob when the IAF pilot was initially captured, here is an extract from Indian govt. statement as reported in https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-wants-safe-return-of-air-force-pilot-in-pak-custody-full-statement-2000264
"India also strongly objected to Pakistan's vulgar display of an injured personnel of the Indian Air Force in violation of all norms of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention. It was made clear that Pakistan would be well advised to ensure that no harm comes to the Indian defence personnel in its custody. India also expects his immediate and safe return."

Ravi: I am glad to see this strong support from Indian govt. for the IAF fighter pilot in Pakistani custody and am fully supportive of this demand.

If the first video account (claiming to show the IAF pilot drinking tea and thanking Pakistan army officers for good treatment) is true, then as an Indian citizen and resident, I thank the concerned officers of the Pakistani army who saved the Indian IAF pilot from the mob and treated him well. I think such behaviour by Pakistan army officers will go a long way in de-escalating this tension between India and Pakistan which has reached alarming proportions.

I also saw a video of Pakistan PM Imran Khan where he spoke about today's events. In that video he talked about the dangers of miscalculations which could escalate the conflict beyond control and mentioned World War I, World War II, Vietnam war and Afghanistan war as examples of miscalculations which led to long drawn (and very destructive) wars. He also made a reference, without naming it specifically, to the nuclear weapons that both India and Pakistan possess.

I pray to God that the political and military leadership of India and Pakistan deescalate the crisis and avoid completely or drastically reduce the possibility of this situation blowing out of control into a war as that will cause untold hardship and suffering to perhaps millions of people both in Pakistan and in India. The nuclear bomb possibility makes it orders of magnitude more dangerous and which threatens not only Pakistan and India, but countries beyond it as the nuclear bomb fallout effects can spread wide and last for decades. It is neither in the interest of most, if not all, Pakistani citizens, nor in the interest of most, if not all, Indian citizens to go through what Japan had to endure in 1945 in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki, whose radiation after effects impacted the lives of people for many decades.

The problem to resolve is the terrorist attacks on India which seem to emanate from terror camps in Pakistan. That problem has to be handled without creating a situation that can lead to a war between India and Pakistan.
----

Comments

Archive

Show more