Indians, both on and off social media have been celebrating the return of Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman from the clutches of Pakistan. The pilot was handed over to Indian High Commission officials at Pakistan's Wagah border. He entered India after completing all formalities. With hundreds waiting at the Wagah border to catch a glimpse of the brave soldier, hashtags like #WelcomeHomeAbhinandan, #WelcomeBackAbhinandan, #Abhinandancomingback have flooded Twitter.
On Wednesday, the 35-year-old pilot was captured by Pakistan after the MiG-21 Bison jet that he was flying crashed. In the backdrop of rising tensions between the two countries, Pakistan PM Imran Khan announced on Thursday that Abhinandan would be released as a 'Peace Gesture' by the Pakistan.
On Feb 26, India had conducted 'non-military, pre-emptive' air strikes targeting training camps run by terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pakistan. The move took place following the tragic February 14th Pulwama Terror Attack which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF Jawans.