The military posture was very offensive of all the three services, Army, Navy, Air Force," Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa (retired)
New Delhi:
Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa (retired) has said Pakistan did not have a choice other than to release Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, days after his MiG-21 was downed in a dogfight in February last year. The Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot had also scored a kill, a Pakistani F-16, before his plane went down in Pakistan and he was captured.
The former IAF chief's comments came after a Pakistani politician in their national assembly revealed how Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa
was "shaking and perspiring" during a meeting to discuss Wing Commander Varthaman's capture.
A dogfight had broken out less than 24 hours after Indian jets bombed a camp of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan's Balakot, in response to Jaish's suicide attack on a convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama that left 40 soldiers dead.
"Me and Abhinandan's father go back a very long time. We did the flying instructor's course together... When Abhinandan got captured... my flight commander Ahuja in Kargil war, he got captured and was shot on the ground, so that was playing in my mind. I told him, 'Sir, I know we couldn't get Ahuja back, but we will definitely get Abhinandan back'," Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa told news agency ANI. Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, who flew a MiG-21, was killed by Pakistani forces after his fighter jet was shot down by Pakistani forces in 1999.
In a speech in the National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Ayaz Sadiq said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had in an important meeting said if Pakistan did not release Wing Commander Varthaman, India would attack Pakistan "that night by 9 pm." "I remember Shah Mahmood Qureshi was in the meeting in which (Prime Minister) Imran Khan had refused to attend and Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa came into the room, his legs were shaking and he was perspiring. Foreign Minister said for god's sake let Abhinandan go, India's about to attack Pakistan at 9 pm," Mr Sadiq recounted the events of the meeting.
Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said Pakistan knew India's capability and that could have acted as deterrence against any harm coming to Wing Commander Varthaman.
"There are two parts to it. The main pressure on Pakistan was diplomatic and political. But there was also a military posture, the way he (Mr Sadiq) is saying that 'his legs (General Bajwa) were shaking and all', it is because the military posture was very offensive of all the three services, Army, Navy, Air Force," the former IAF chief said.
"And God forbid had they hit our installations on February 27, we were also in a position to wipe out their forward brigades. They know our capability. Basically, if this thing is there in their mind that we are likely to strike, they first look at how their own military is doing. The American President Theodore Roosevelt used to say, 'Speak softly and carry a big stick'. So the big stick was the military," Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said.
The former Air Chief Marshal served in a MiG-21 squadron with Wing Commander Varthaman's father, who retired as an Air Marshal.
After healing from injuries, Wing Commander Varthaman returned to the cockpit in less than six months since he returned home from captivity.
'Misleading' to link Abhinandan's release with anything other than Pakistan's mature response: DG ISPR
Dawn.com |
Javed HussainUpdated 29 Oct 2020
Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on Thursday termed as "disappointing" and "misleading" any attempt to link the
release of Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman with anything other than Pakistan's mature response as a responsible state.
Although the chief of the military's media wing did not name anyone, his statement comes a day after former National Assembly speaker and senior PML-N leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq
suggested that the PTI government had released Abhinandan in capitulation, fearing an imminent attack from India.
After his comments sparked a social media storm, Sadiq on Thursday issued a clarification, saying his remarks were being "misquoted and misreported".
Addressing a press conference with a one-point agenda, the DG ISPR said he sought to "correct the record" regarding the events that surrounded India's violation of Pakistani airspace last year in February.
"A statement was given yesterday which tried to distort the history of issues associated with national security," he said.
The DG ISPR said following the attack on Indian troops in occupied Kashmir's Pulwama area, India "showed aggression against Pakistan in violation of all international laws on February 26, 2019, in which not only did it face defeat but was humiliated around the world".
"Pakistani armed forces' alert and timely response foiled the enemy's designs. The enemy planes that had come to drop the explosives on the Pakistani people escaped while dropping their payload on empty mountains in panic after seeing our Shaheens."
He said the Pakistani forces "decided to teach the enemy a lesson in response" to the attack and country's entire civil and military leadership was united in the decision.
"Pakistan responded to India in broad daylight after announcing it. Not only did we give an appropriate reply, but also shot down two enemy war planes [and] Wing Commander Abhinandan was captured.
"During these actions, the enemy became so frightened that it shot down its own helicopter and troops in a state of panic. [...] This victory not only exposed India's hollow claims of power before the world but made the entire Pakistani nation proud," he said.
The ISPR chief said Pakistan's victory was "not only acknowledged by the world" but the Indian leadership had attributed their forces' failure to the absence of Rafale fighter jets.
"Being a responsible state, the Government of Pakistan in order to give peace another chance decided to release Indian prisoner of war Wing Commander Abhinandan," he added, emphasising that this decision, which was in line with the Geneva Convention, was praised the world over.
"I want to make it clear once again for the sake of record that Pakistan first showed its capability and resolve and this decision was taken keeping in view all warfare options from a position of strength. Pakistan's leadership and the armed forces were fully prepared to deal with any situation.
"We gave them a bloody nose and it is still hurting," he said while referring to Pakistan's response to India's violation of its airspace.
"It is extremely disappointing and misleading to link Wing Commander Abhinandan's release with anything other than a responsible state's mature response.
"This is in fact equivalent to making controversial the Pakistani nation's clear supremacy and victory over India, and I think this is not acceptable to any Pakistani."
Maj Gen Iftikhar said such "negative narrative directly affects national security and the enemy is taking thorough advantage of these things in the information domain and you all can see a glimpse of this in the Indian media".
"This same narrative is being used to minimise India's defeat and loss," he continued. "In these conditions, when enemy forces have imposed a hybrid war on Pakistan, we will all have to move forward with great responsibility."
He said the Pakistan Army "is keeping a close eye on the regional security situation and is not only aware of internal and external threats but is also ready to counter all kinds of challenges".
"With the nation's help, we will foil every conspiracy against Pakistan and give proportionate response to any aggression," he added.
Asked by a journalist to give his take on some "recent statements which could create a rift between the armed forces' leadership and soldiers", the DG ISPR said: "The armed forces are an organised institution and its leadership and rank and file cannot be separated.
"No difference can be created between the leadership and rank and file of the armed forces. There is a unity and it will remain."
https://www.dawn.com/news/1587624/w...s-still-hurting-dg-ispr-on-abhinandan-episode
