Concern over safety of IAF pilot detained by Pak

Expressing concern over the well-being of the IAF pilot held captive by Pakistan, leaders of various parties on Wednesday said Islamabad should abide by Geneva Convention and ensure his safe return home. "I'm sorry to hear that one of our brave IAF pilots is missing. I hope he will return home soon, unharmed. We stand by our armed forces in these difficult times," Congress President Rahul Gandhi said.

DMK leader M K Stalin urged the Centre "to do everything necessary to get him safely back home at the earliest". National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said Pakistan should treat the pilot "as you would have us treat one of your men in uniform should he be unfortunate enough to be captured on this side of the border", while AIMIM president Asaduddin

Owaisi said Islamabad must respect its obligations under the Geneva Convention and treat him humanely. The Indian government reacted with fury after Pakistan released a 46-second video of a blindfolded Wing Commander Abhinandan, slamming it for "vulgar display" of an injured personnel in violation of all norms of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention.

It also asked Pakistan to ensure that no harm comes to the Indian defence personnel in its custody and demanded his immediate and safe return. Earlier on Wednesday India had said an IAF pilot was "missing in action" after it foiled Pakistan's attempts to target military installations by using its Air Force in response to India's counter-terrorism action. Later in the day it was confirmed that the person detained by Pakistan was the pilot.

In a joint statement, leaders of 21 opposition parties who met here condemned the Pakistani "misadventure" and expressed their "deep concern for the safety of our missing pilot". The hashtags 'BringBackAbhinandan' and 'Abhinandan' were trending on the social media, where people were appealing for efforts for the safe return of the officer. They also expressed anger over Pakistan's treatment of the pilot after several videos of the

detained officer appeared on social media. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the whole country "is proud of this brave son and everyone is hoping for his safe return."

"We all stand united to keep our country safe and strong (sic)," the Aam Aadmi Party chief tweeted. Abdullah also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi "must suspend his political activities until the pilot is returned safely and that he had suggested the opposition parties to also put off their meeting in Delhi.

"It can't be business as usual with him criss-crossing the country at tax payer expense making political speeches while our pilot is a Pakistani captive," Abdullah said in a series of tweets. Owaisi said:"Our prayers are with the brave IAF pilot & his family in this very difficult time.

"Under Article 3 of Geneva Conventions every party is required to treat prisoners humanely. Pakistan must respect its obligations towards the IAF pilot, regardless of ongoing circumstances." Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav tweeted: "I am praying for the safe return of our brave pilot. May God protect you and give you courage and strength. The nation stands with you."

MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that in the aerial engagement on Wednesday, "one Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft was shot down by a MiG 21 Bison of the Indian Air Force. The Pakistani aircraft was seen by ground forces falling from the sky on the Pakistan side." "In this engagement, we have unfortunately lost one MiG 21," he said.