Pakistani eyewitness recounts IAF pilot's dramatic capture

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman raised patriotic slogans, fired in the air and stuffed his mouth with documents when he landed on Pakistani soil after ejecting from his fighter jet, says the headman of a village on the other side of the border.

The Indian Air Force pilot, who has been the centre of global attention since his capture on Wednesday, will be released on Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced in Parliament.

Recounting the dramatic events leading to his capture, Mohammad Razzaq Chaudhry, the chief of Horran village in Pakistan, told the BBC that he ran to the spot along with other villagers when he saw the MiG 21 crashing to the ground.

Varthaman's first question on landing was whether he was in India, Chaudhry said, disclosing that the pilot was pelted with stones and also shot in the leg while fleeing.

"My objective was to capture the pilot alive. I had seen the Indian flag on his parachute and knew he was Indian," Chaudhry was quoted as ...