April 01, 2026 08:18 pm (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Bengal SIR progress: 47 lakh of 60 lakh adjudicated cases disposed of, Supreme Court informed | Amit Shah to join Suvendu Adhikari on Bhabanipur nomination day; BJP plans mega roadshow | Fuel prices rise: Premium petrol, diesel hiked amid oil price surge | Commercial LPG up Rs 195.50 as global oil prices rise; domestic rates unchanged | Layoff alert: Oracle cuts 30,000 jobs globally, 12,000 hit in India | ‘Unsubstantial allegations’: Calcutta HC dismisses plea on ECI’s officer transfers in Bengal | Tennis icon Leander Paes joins BJP ahead of Bengal polls | 8 killed, several injured in crowd crush at Bihar temple in Nalanda | Trump signals exit from Iran war even as Strait of Hormuz remains shut: Report | Mystery death in Pakistan: JeM chief Masood Azhar’s brother found dead

Nirmala Sitharaman visits hospital, meets Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan

| @indiablooms | Mar 02, 2019, at 06:09 pm

New Delhi, Mar 2 (IBNS): Defence Minister Nirmnala Sitharaman on Saturday visited the hospital in which Indian Air Force Pilot Abhinandan, who was released by Pakistan from its captivity, is undergoing treatment and met him.

Nirmala Sitharaman also praised the Indian pilot for his impeccable combat skills as well as calmness in adversity.

The Minister also met his family.

"@DefenceMinIndia meets the #AirWarrior #AbhinandanVarthaman at his hospital room in Delhi to convey the sentiment of the Nation. Appreciates his impeccable combat skills as well as calmness in adversity. Interacts with the family and the hospital staff too," read a tweet posted on the Defence Spokesperson's handle.

The spokesperson also posted several images of the Minister's interaction with the Indian pilot.

Abhinandan returns home:

A day after the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted surgical strike, Abhinandan was captured when his MiG-21 Bison fighter had fallen across the Line of Control in Pak-Occuppied Kashmir (PoK) on Feb 27, when the Indian pilot was engaged in a dogfight with an intruding Pakistani F-16 fighter jet. 

He was taken into the custody by Pakistan army.

 

After India refused to sit across the table with its neighbouring country, which was facing an immense international pressure since Feb 14 Pulwama attack, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced he will send Abhinandan to his own soil as a "peace gesture".

Abhinandan finally reached India through the Wagah border at around 9 pm on Friday.

Image: Defence Spokesperson's Twitter page

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.