The Indian Air Force (IAF) says that there is “irrefutable evidence” that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman downed a Pakistani F-16 with his MiG 21 Bison aircraft in a dogfight on 27 February.

The homecom-ing of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from two days of captivity in Pakistan on Friday is considered by some as the first sign of de-escalation of the hostilities and the visible resultant tensions between India and Pakistan in the last few days.

Pakistani authorities are likely to bring Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Rawalpindi to Lahore and hand him over to the International Committee of Red Cross under the Geneva Convention rules, according to reports.