IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman finally returned home on Friday night after endless hours of tension and wait. Pakistan said he was handed over along with his belongings, however, all that he came back with were his ring, a watch and spectacles.
Upon ejecting out of his crashed MiG 21 Bison, Abhinandan still had his pistol with him, which he used to allegedly fire on locals in Pakistani territory who were chasing him.
Abhinandan was also carrying maps and a survival kit with him and some documents that he managed to destroy before he was captured by the Pakistani army.
However, none of those came back with Abhinandan Varthaman on Friday night when Pakistani Rangers handed him over to the Border Security Force at the Wagah-Attari border.
Abhinandan Varthaman came empty handed, dressed in civilian clothes and without any bags or kits.
The IAF pilot came back with his ring, his spectacles and a blue Casio G-Shock watch.
Interestingly, the "taking over certificate" refers to Abhinandan Varthaman as a "prisoner of war" and has even allotted him the number 27981. India has nowhere referred to Abhinandan as a prisoner of war.