IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to return as global pressure mounts on Pakistan. LIVE UPDATES

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman crosses the Wagah-Attari border and enters India.

IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan being received at the Wagah-Attari border.

Documents are being exchanged ahead of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan's entry in India.

First visuals of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan being brought to the Wagah-Attari border by Pakistan are out.

Wing Commander Abhinandan set to cross the Wagah border shortly and return to India.

5-member IAF team to welcome Wing Commander Abhinandan back home.

Pakistan hands over Wing Commander Abhinandan to BSF.

BSF will receive IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan at the Wagah-Attari border.

Wing Commander Abhinandan handed over to India after formalities completed. 

Indian Air Force to brief media and give a statement at 5:35 pm.

Sources have told Republic TV that there is a long process of documentation taking place and health check up is going on.

While Pakistan had earlier said he had been handed over, the latest update, as per news agency ANI is:

Crowd gathers outside the Wagah border to welcome Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman back home.

Both the Air Vice Marshal - RGK Kapoor and Sreekumar Prabhakaran - to receive Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at the Wagah border.

High security present at the Attari-Wagah border.

High security in place at the Wagah border ahead of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman's return.

India nailed a massive diplomatic win on Thursday as Pakistan government, under global pressure, was forced to announce the release of Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was detained by Pak army on Wednesday.

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.

The Indian government has put enormous pressure on Pakistan for his release, and has found support from a number of countries. 

A dossier was also sent by the Indian government in this regard to Pakistan, in which an ultimatum was given to Imran Khan's government demanding 'safe and immediate' return of the Indian Air Force pilot.

United Nations General Secretary Antonio Guterres has welcomed the return of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to India. 

"The reports of the promise of the release of the Indian pilot by the Pakistani authorities would be a very much welcomed step," spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

"We would encourage both parties to do whatever they can to de-escalate the situation and this is the message that has been passed on by the UN and by the international community as a whole," he said.
 

Important meeting in Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss modalities of handing over Wing Commander Abhinandan to India. He is likely to cross Wagah later today: Sources

Today afternoon, we will release Abhinandan from Wagah border: Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister, Pakistan

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will cross the border today, can't tell you exact time since there are certain formalities. A senior Indian Air force team from Delhi is here, they will be the ones to receive him: Deputy Commissioner Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon, Amritsar

The beating retreat ceremony at the Wagah border has been canceled.