Union Minister Subhash Rao Bhamre meets IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman in Delhi

Minister of State for Defence Subhash Rao Bhamre on Sunday met Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at Army Hospital Research and Referral in Delhi. Earlier on Saturday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Varthaman and conveyed to him that the entire nation is proud of his courage and determination. Pakistan had on Friday released Varthaman in its bid to scale down heightened tensions between the two countries.

"Minister of State for Defence Subhash Rao Bhamre met IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at Army Hospital Research And Referral in Delhi, today," the news agency ANI reported.

Minister of State for Defence Subhash Rao Bhamre met IAF Wing Commander #AbhinandanVarthaman at Army Hospital Research And Referral in Delhi, today. pic.twitter.com/cCwNKoaBTi

— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2019

Varthaman arrived in the national capital by an IAF flight at around 11:45 pm on Friday, nearly two-and-half hours after he crossed over to India through the Attari-Wagah border. The IAF pilot was first taken to the Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), a compact and specialised medical evaluation centre for aircrew of all the three services. Later he was brought to the Army's Research and Referral hospital.

Read | Seconds before aerial dogfight, this was IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman's last radio message

After he was captured, Varthaman showed courage and grace in handling the most difficult circumstances for which he was praised by politicians, strategic affairs experts, ex-servicemen, celebrities and people in general. When Varthaman, son of an IAF veteran, crossed over to India on Friday night, his right eye above his handlebar moustache appeared swollen. A video on social media showed that he was badly beaten up by a mob before being rescued by Pakistani security personnel.

Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)'s biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. Pakistan retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations on Wednesday. However, the IAF thwarted their plans. The Indian strike on the JeM camp 12 days after the terror outfit claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 42 jawans and injuring dozens of others.

(With inputs from agencies)