Pak did no favour by returning IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, says defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman

India had sent back 90,000 Pakistani soldiers unconditionally after the 1971 war, in which Pakistan was defeated, said defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman Sunday criticised people who termed Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan a “statesman” for returning Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman and said the IAF pilot’s release was as per law and not a favour. India had sent back 90,000 Pakistani soldiers unconditionally after the 1971 war, in which Pakistan was defeated, she said.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Sunday criticised those from within the country who had termed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan a “statesman” for returning Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman and said the IAF pilot’s release was as per law and not a favour. (AFP File Photo)

“But some within India, some journalists and thinkers, are terming him (Khan) a statesman for sending back our pilot, but it is only as per law and it has not done India a favour; they are also questioning what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done,” Sitharaman said.