Print Story
X
KARACHI: A mannequin of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthama of the Indian Air Force having a crimson puffy cheekbone and half-closed eyes has been placed at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Museum, Karachi, by the PAF. The mannequin depicts a wounded Abhinandan exactly after his warplane MiG-21 was struck down by a missile in a dogfight that ensued in the wake of the Pulwama attack in the Indian-occupied Kashmir in February this year.
As Abhinandan’s plane was downed, he ejected and descended safely in the village of Horran in Azad Kashmir, some seven kilometres from the Line of Control. He was captured and manhandled by villagers before being rescued by the Pakistan Army and was released by the Pakistani government in 60 hours as a peace gesture.
A map, a machete knife, a blanket, goggles, a coverall, a cap (hood), a parachute cord, a gravity suit belonging to Abhinandan have also been displayed at the museum. However, the most interesting object of the entire assemblage is the cup in which tea was served to the Indian pilot in Pakistan custody. A memo of the PAF officers mess is embossed on the cup which mentions the price of the tea as one MiG-21. One of the museum’s officials joked about it to be the most expensive tea in human history. The coverall, according to the museum’s official, is one piece of cloth which covers the entire body of the fighter pilot and is heat-resistant and fireproof. Over the coverall, the official explained, a pilot wears gravity suit which controls the pilot’s weight and keeps heartbeat normal.
As for the map, the official said, it is always present in a lower pocket of the coverall. If the GPS stops working, the fighter pilot locates his position through the paper map. The machete knife is a specialised knife present in the coverall’s pocket. It is sharp enough to break the upper canopy of the fighter plane if the pilot is in need of an emergency ejection.
The PAF Museum, Karachi, located adjacent to the PAF Base Faisal on Sharae Faisal was inaugurated on August, 14 1997 by the then chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal Abbas Khattak, and subsequently opened to the general public in October, 1997. The museum also houses Folland Gnat of the Indian Air Force as a war trophy, which was surrendered and landed in Pakistan during the 1965 Indo-Pak War.
A separate gallery with the name of Operation Swift Retort has been formed at the museum just in front of Pakistani fighter pilot Air Commodore Muhammad Mahmood Alam’s mannequin. Alam had downed nine Indian Air Force aircraft in one minute during the 1965 war, including five Hawker Hunter aircraft on 7 September 1965.
The purpose of the gallery, according to officials of the museum, is to commemorate the events of the post-Pulwama attack.
“The entire Pulwama attack saga is referred to as Operation Swift Retort,” the official told The News. The wreckage of the Indian aircraft MiG-21 that Abhinandan had been flying, including its tail on which the Indian flag is still embossed, is placed at the entrance of the gallery. "'Surprise to victory, Operation Swift Retort is a testimony of our preparedness and professionalism' is imprinted at the showcase where the MiG-21’s wreckage is displayed. At another wall in the gallery 'The Surprise That Made Enemy Bleed' is embossed.
The PAF’s victories over the years have also been mentioned in detail in the gallery. The series of events that ensued after the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019, is also showcased in the gallery, with pictures. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s famous statement in the wake of the Pulwama attack -- “If India attacks us, we will not think of retaliating; we will retaliate" -- is also regally mentioned at the gallery.
Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan's stance -- “PAF was, is and will always be ready to give a stronger response to any external aggression” and “PAF to utilise all available assets to defend our motherland” -- is also mentioned on a separate wall in the gallery. Pictures showing the air chief addressing and interacting with the PAF combat crew during his visits to Forward Operational Bases (FOBs) and Regional Air Commands (RACs) in the wake of the Pulwama attack to boost their morale have also been placed.
Clippings of different national and international news agencies and tweets from notables showing how maturely Pakistan behaved during the event are displayed in a glass case. Models of Indian MiG-21 and SU-30 which were shot down by the PAF are also displayed along with how the PAF carried out an attack in IOK to tell them that they were within Pakistan’s reach are also displayed. Pictures of Wing Commander Noman Ali Khan, Wing Commander Faheem Ahmed and Squadron Leader Hassan Siddiqui, who took part in the operation, are also showcased at the gallery.