Shikhar Dhawan welcomes back Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman

The whole of India rejoiced on Thursday evening when news of Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman surfaced on the television sets. The Indians were fearing for the worst when the soldier fell in Pakistan after ejecting from his plane following a malfunctioning. Pakistan soon released a video, showing the soldier being beaten by an angry mob as the entire nation expressed its concerns.

Hours later, Pakistan released another video showing the Air Force wing commander having a cup of tea as he was being treated well. And as the Indians were desperately awaiting any good news regarding Abhinandan, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan extended the olive branch to India by announcing that the captured Indian pilot will be released back to India tomorrow. Imran Khan made the announcement during his parliamentary address in Islamabad on Thursday. “As a peace gesture, we are releasing Wing Commander tomorrow,” Imran Khan told his Parliament.

Unsurprisingly, the entire nation is delighted with the news as the countrymen gear up to welcome back their hero. The people have taken to social media to welcome Abhinandan and the cricketing fraternity has not remained far behind. India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who had recently offered financial help to the families of martyred soldiers, has also welcomed Abhinandan. Reacting to the news of his homecoming, Dhawan took to Twitter and wrote, “Eagerly waiting for our braveheart to return home. #WelcomeBackAbhinandan.”

Eagerly waiting for our braveheart to return home. 🙏 #WelcomeBackAbhinandan

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) February 28, 2019

The political tension between the two nations, meanwhile, is at an all high-time high after the Pulwama attack claimed the lives of 44 CRPF jawans. Pakistan-based militancy group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has claimed the responsibility of the attack. In reply, the Indian Air Force had carried out air strikes across the Line of Control on February 26, targeting JeM terror training camps in Balakot. According to reports, at least 200-300 terrorists were killed in the ‘non-military preemptive’ strike.

ICC on India-Pakistan clash in World Cup

The attack has also impacted cricket and there were widespread calls to boycott Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup. BCCI later wrote to the ICC to express its concerns over the security of the players and the fans. India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet against each other on June 16 in Manchester.

However, the ICC, on Wednesday, assured the BCCI that if the need arises, it will “uplift the security based on the advice of relevant agencies’ to address India’s concern.

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