The Silicon Review ^Asia

Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is scheduled to return home today, Pakistan Prime minister Imran Khanconfirmed on Thursday.

The commander was captured after his MiG-21 plane crashed on the Pakistani side two days ago.

Abhinandan, son of a decorated IAF veteran, wins hearts after his video of Pakistani army questioning him goes viral. In the clip, he refuses to share his details and remains confident throughout. He is a brave heart. The pilot is praised for his courage and his show of daring.

The pilot will be released via Wagah Border. The chief minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh,tweet requests to receive the commander. However, there was no confirmation from the government of India that Mr. Singh would receive him.

The question remains unanswered: Why did IAF deploy MiG-21, infamously known as ‘Flying Coffin’, against technically advanced F-16!? Why didn’t itdeploySukhoi or other technically advanced jets!?

One of the IAF officers said: “The MiG-21 is something that we have in our inventory and it would be used for operations. We have had a mixture of aircraft doing Combat Air Patrol (CAP), and at the time when the Pakistan Air Force jets came in, the MiG-21s were in the air, and hence, they challenged the F-16s.”

MiG-21 was inducted into the IAF 56 years ago in 1963.

Back to the Wing Commander; in the clip, he also says how the Pakistani army rescued him from a mob that is seen assaulting the pilot.

Personally, I was shaken to see our brave heart being captured by the enemy. Thankfully he remains safe and is being returned.

Salute to Abhinandan!