New Delhi: India stands united for the safe return of the Air Force pilot who has been held captive by Pakistani forces after the fighter jets of both countries engaged in an air battle on Wednesday morning. Pakistan officials claimed that they have captured a pilot of Indian Air Force (IAF) after shooting down two fighter jets in the wee hours on Wednesday. Even the Indian authorities have confirmed that a pilot is ‘missing in action’. On Wednesday, videos of a man blindfolded and wearing a flight suit have gone viral on social media. This has created a massive outrage amongst the people. Campaigns of bringing him back safely have flooded several social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. In a media briefing in the National Capital, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that an Indian Air Force MiG-21 Bison was ‘lost’ and the pilot was ‘missing in action’.

This is, however, not for the first time that an Indian pilot was held captive by Pakistan. During the Kargil War held in 1999, an IAF pilot and Group Captain Kambampati Nachiketa was captured by the Pakistani forces in Batalik region in Jammu and Kashmir. In the initial stage of the Kargil War, Nachiketa, 26 years old at the time, was engaged in a fight with the enemies and suddenly his MiG-27 fighter jet experienced engine failure and crashed. He had no option but to eject himself from the plane. Soon after he landed in the region, Nachiketa was taken hostage by the Pakistani forces. He was then taken to a Rawalpindi prison where he was manhandled by the Pakistani soldiers till the time a senior officer intervened.

However, soon after the official confirmation of the incident, Indian government left no stones un-turned to bring Nachiketa back. India started mounting international pressure on Pakistan for the release of Nachiketa. After days of diplomatic efforts and scrutiny from overseas media, Pakistan finally returned Nachiketa within a span of just eight days.

He was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Pakistan and returned home via the Wagah border. However, his condition was very critical when he came back as he suffered multiple fractures and injuries after ejecting from high above in the sky. He was under medical treatment for the first three years. Nachiketa resumed flying in 2003 and was also conferred with the prestigious Vayu Sena Medal for his bravery.