Pakistan stoops to new low with Abhinandan Varthaman's mannequin display at PAF museum

News Network
November 11, 2019

Islamabad, Nov 11: In a bizarre promotion of its heinous propaganda against India, Pakistan has displayed a mannequin of Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman inside a war museum of Pakistan Air Force in Karachi.

A Twitter posting by Pakistan journalist and political commentator Anwar Lodhi shows a photo of the mannequin of the IAF braveheart, captured on February 27 by Pakistan following a dogfight between the two air forces in which his MIG-21 was shot down in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Abhinandan was later released on March 1 at the Attari-Wagah border.

Lodhi shared the picture and wrote: "PAF has put mannequin of Abhi Nandhan on display in the museum. This would be a more interesting display if they can arrange a Cup of FANTASTIC tea in his hand."

In a video that was released by Pakistan military of Abhinandan when he was in their custody in February this year, the Air Force pilot is seen sipping tea and at one point he is heard replying to question by his captors: "The tea is fantastic, thank you."

The photograph shared by Lodhi on the microblogging site also captures a mug placed behind on the left-hand side of the Abhinandan's mannequin which is flanked by a Pakistani soldier. The entire display is encased in a glass showcase.

Just ahead of the World Cup match between India and Pakistan, an advertisement on a Pakistan channel featured a distasteful spoof on Abhinandan, which came under heavy backlash on social media. This ad was also based on the video of the IAF pilot taken during his captivity.

During a counter-attack in response to the Balakot airstrike in February, Abhinandan, while flying the MiG 21 Bison, was chasing Pakistani F-16 fighters, which had transgressed into the Indian airspace, and in the process, his plane crossed over to Pakistani side and was shot down.

He ejected safely but was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army upon landing. Before his plane was shot, he had hit a Pakistani F-16.

Abhinandan returned to India on March 1 via the Wagah-Attari border after two days in Pakistani captivity. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the release of Varthaman, terming his decision "a peace gesture."

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News Network
March 25,2020

Hubei, Mar 25: As a bus departed from its terminus at Hankou Railway Station at 5:25 am Wednesday morning, Wuhan started to resume bus service after nine weeks of lockdown.

Apart from a driver, a safety supervisor was also on each bus, whose duty was to make sure all passengers are healthy.
"For those who do not use smartphones, they should bring with them a health certificate issued by the health authorities," said Zhou Jingjing, a safety supervisor aboard bus No. 511 departing from the Wuchang Railway Station complex.
The once hardest-hit city in central China's Hubei Province during the COVID-19 outbreak took unprecedented traffic restrictions on Jan 23. All of its public transport and all outbound flights and trains had been suspended in an attempt to contain the virus within the region.

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News Network
January 7,2020

Jan 7: Body of the senior Iranian military commander, Qasem Soleimani killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq last week, has arrived in his home town of Kerman in southeast Iran for burial, the official IRNA news agency said on Tuesday.

State TV broadcast live images of thousands of people in the streets of the town, many of them dressed in black, to mourn Soleimani's death.

Soleimani was widely seen as Iran’s second most powerful figure behind Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 80, who wept in grief along with hundreds of thousands of mourners who thronged the streets of Tehran for Soleimani’s funeral on Monday.

Khamenei led prayers at the funeral in the Iranian capital, pausing as his voice cracked with emotion. Soleimani, 62, was a national hero even to many who do not consider themselves supporters of Iran’s clerical rulers.

He was killed while leaving Baghdad airport last Friday. Mourners packed the streets, chanting: “Death to America!” - a show of national unity after anti-government protests in November in which many demonstrators were killed.

The crowd, which state media said numbered in the millions, recalled the masses gathered in 1989 for the funeral of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The killing of Soleimani has prompted fears around the world of a broader regional conflict, as well as calls in the U.S. Congress for legislation to keep President Donald Trump from going to war against Iran.

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News Network
May 23,2020

Karachi, May 23: Ninety-seven people were killed and two survived when a passenger plane crashed into homes in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, health officials said Saturday.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane had made multiple approaches to land at the city's airport when it came down in a residential area, damaging buildings and sparking a rescue operation that lasted into the night.

All passengers and crew had been accounted for and the bodies of those killed had been recovered from the crash site, the Sindh Health Ministry said, adding that 19 had been identified.

A local hospital earlier reported it had received the bodies of people killed on the ground.

The site remained cordoned off on Saturday morning.

The crash sent plumes of smoke were into the air as rescue workers and residents searched the debris for people and as firefighters tried to extinguish the flames.

An AFP reporter witnessed charred bodies being loaded into ambulances.

PIA said the plane lost contact with air traffic control just after 2:30 pm (0930 GMT) travelling from Lahore to Karachi.

The disaster comes as Pakistanis prepare to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, with many travelling back to their homes in cities and villages.

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