Pakistan feared war upon them if they did not release Wing Commander Abhinandan, writes Major General GD Bakshi

Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is set to return to India two days after he was detained by the Pakistani army after his parachute landed in PoK following the air battle between IAF and Pakistan Air Force aircrafts.

Flying a MiG 21 Bison, IAF pilot Abhinandan took on the F-16s of Pakistan and even shot one of their jets down, despite the stark difference in quality between the two aircrafts. 

His ability and talent to force the enemy backward while flying a much older jet displayed the true strength of Indian Air Force jawans, feels Major General GD Bakshi.

"My salute to a true brave heart Wg Cdr Abhinanadan. With a Mig-21 bison of the 1960s era he shot down a Paki F- 16-a 4th generation American aircraft. This is a great feat in the annals of air warfare," the retired Army personnel wrote on his official Facebook account.

Pakistan succumbed to the global pressure, which came after stern diplomatic action by India, and ordered the release of IAF pilot on Thursday. While Imran Khan suggested that it was a "good gesture" by his government for "peace", General GD Bakshi feels the theory is a farce, given how Pakistan treated Indian jawans in the past.

"We were seriously concerned about his safety. Remember what these ghouls did to Capt Saurabh Kalia- cigarette burns all over his body, most bones broken, eyeballs gouged out and private parts cut," he added in his post.

The retired army personnel also suggested that Pakistan decided to hand the IAF pilot back to India only because they feared Indian forces would knock them over.

"The nation was totally prepared to go to war if they did not hand him over. Pak told other countries that the Indian Navy was closing in on Karachi and Indian tanks and formations were moving to the border Pak blinked quickly," General Bakshi also mentioned.

READ: IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman To Return As Global Pressure Mounts On Pakistan. LIVE UPDATES

On February 27, a day after Indian Air Force conducted air strikes inside Pakistan territory and bombed camps of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed - orchestrator of Pulwama terror attack - the Pakistan Air Force aircrafts tried to infiltrate the Indian airspace and attack military establishments.

Three F-16 jets entered the Indian territory, following which the Indian Air Force sent their own aircrafts on air to tackle them. Within no time, the Pakistani F-16s were forced back, and one of their jet was even shot down by IAF's MiG 21.

It was during this very confrontation with Pakistan Air Force that Wing Commander Abhinandan's jet was shot, and he ended up landing in PoK, following which he was taken into custody.