New Delhi, March 8: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to honour Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman with Param Veer Chakra – country’s highest military honour.

Wing Commander Abhinanadan was the Indian pilot who shot down the Pakistan Air Force’s F16 fighter jet with his MiG 21 in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on February 27, after the PAF’s F16 violated the Indian aerospace. In the action, his MiG 21 was shot down too, and he landed in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Later he was captured by the Pakistani armed forces. Pulwama Aftermath: Indian Air Force Trolls Pakistan With Hindi Poem on Cross Border Air Strike. 

With international pressure pouring in, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced to release the IAF pilot on March 1. Abhinanandan returned to India via the Wagah-Attari International Border and was flown to the national capital on the same day. The IAF Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had announced that Abhinanandan would soon fly the jets, once proven medically fit.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2019 05:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).