KARACHI: Pakistan has put on display a statue of an Indian pilot whoseplane was shot down over Kashmir earlier this year, invoking the ire ofIndia’s media.
The life-sized statue of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman — completewith his singature moustache — has been installed in an exhibit at a museumin Karachi run by the Pakistan Air Force.
Abhinandan’s plane was shot down in a retaliation to India conducting airstrikes in its territory. His capture was seen as a major setback for India.
After his capture, the Pakistani military released a video showing himsipping a cup of tea and politely refusing to answer questions. He wasreleased later as a peace gesture from Pakistan aimed at defusing tensions.
The statue stands in a gallery named Operation Swift Retort.
The exhibit includes parts of the fuselage and tail of Abhinandan’saircraft, a Mig-21, as well as a tea mug.
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The gallery also contains images re-enacting the moment his plane was shotdown, and photographs showing him being handed back to India at the Wagahborder crossing.
A mess receipt jokingly charging Abhinandan for the tea — at the cost ofone Mig-21 — is also framed in the exhibit. Images of the mocking receiptwent viral in the days after his capture.
The museum stands inside a recreational park for young people in Karachi,complete with decommissioned aircraft and other military hardware.
“I feel very proud of my country seeing Abhinandan’s statue at thegallery,” said Samiullah Bari, a 10th grade student visiting the museum ata school trip. – APP / AFP
