<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/wing-commander-abhinandan-varthaman-returns-to-india-from-pakistan-200585">Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman</a>, who was brought to Delhi after Pakistan released him through the Attari-Wagah border late Friday night, underwent a series of medical tests as part of a "cooling down" process, officials said.

Early Saturday morning, Varthaman met his immediate family members as well as several top officials of the Indian Air Force, they said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/un-chief-welcomes-iaf-pilots-return-to-india-calls-on-india-pak-to-sustain-positive-momentum-200641">Varthaman</a> arrived in the national capital around 11:45 PM Friday and soon after he was taken to the Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), a compact and specialised medical evaluation centre for aircrew of all the three services.

He was captured by Pakistani authorities on February 27 after his MiG 21 Bison went down during a dogfight with Pakistani jets. But before his plane was hit, Varthaman shot down an F-16 of Pakistan air force.

Wing Commander Varthaman is undergoing a series of medical tests as part of the "cooling down" process and it is expected to continue till Sunday. Once, the health check-up phase is over, debriefing sessions will be arranged for him, the officials said.&nbsp;

When he crossed over to India Friday night, his right eye above his handlebar moustache appeared swollen.

After he was captured, Varthaman showed courage and grace in the most difficult circumstances for which he was praised by politicians, strategic affairs experts, ex-servicemen, celebrities and others.&nbsp;

A video circulated on social media that he was badly beaten up by a group of people after being rescued by Pakistani security personnel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the return of Varthaman, saying the nation is proud of his exemplary courage.

"Welcome Home Wing Commander Abhinandan! The nation is proud of your exemplary courage. Our armed forces are an inspiration for 130 crore Indians," tweeted Modi Friday night.&nbsp;

Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday.&nbsp;

Pakistan retaliated the strike by carrying attempting to target Indian military installations on Wednesday. However, the IAF thwarted their plans.&nbsp;

The Indian strike on the JeM camp 12 days after the terror group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.&nbsp;

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was brought to Delhi after Pakistan released him through the Attari-Wagah border late Friday night, underwent a series of medical tests as part of a "cooling down" process, officials said.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was brought to Delhi after Pakistan released him through the Attari-Wagah border late Friday night, underwent a series of medical tests as part of a "cooling down" process, officials said. Early Saturday morning, Varthaman met his immediate family members as well as several top officials of the Indian Air Force, they said. Varthaman arrived in the national capital around 11:45 PM Friday and soon after he was taken to the Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), a compact and specialised medical evaluation centre for aircrew of all the three services. He was captured by Pakistani authorities on February 27 after his MiG 21 Bison went down during a dogfight with Pakistani jets. But before his plane was hit, Varthaman shot down an F-16 of Pakistan air force. Wing Commander Varthaman is undergoing a series of medical tests as part of the "cooling down" process and it is expected to continue till Sunday. Once, the health check-up phase is over, debriefing sessions will be arranged for him, the officials said. When he crossed over to India Friday night, his right eye above his handlebar moustache appeared swollen. After he was captured, Varthaman showed courage and grace in the most difficult circumstances for which he was praised by politicians, strategic affairs experts, ex-servicemen, celebrities and others. A video circulated on social media that he was badly beaten up by a group of people after being rescued by Pakistani security personnel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the return of Varthaman, saying the nation is proud of his exemplary courage. "Welcome Home Wing Commander Abhinandan! The nation is proud of your exemplary courage. Our armed forces are an inspiration for 130 crore Indians," tweeted Modi Friday night. Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. Pakistan retaliated the strike by carrying attempting to target Indian military installations on Wednesday. However, the IAF thwarted their plans. The Indian strike on the JeM camp 12 days after the terror group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.

Wing Commander Abhinandan undergoes 'cooling down' process

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Saturday.&nbsp;

Abhinandan was released from Pakistani custody on Friday night and has since then been kept at the Air Force Central Medical Establishment in Delhi.&nbsp;

Abhinandan was captured by the Pakistanis on February 27 after his MiG 21 Bison was shot down during a dogfight with Pakistani jets; he was however able to shoot down a Pakistani F-16 before that.&nbsp;

The news agency PTI quoted officials as saying Abhinandan is currently undergoing a series of medical tests as part of a "cooling down" process which is expected to continue till Sunday. Once, the health check up is over, the officials said, Abhinandan will be debriefed.&nbsp;

Abhinandan arrived in the national capital around 11:45 PM Friday and soon after was taken to the Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), a compact and specialised medical evaluation centre for aircrew of all the three services.

Early Saturday morning, Varthaman met immediate family members as well as several top officials of the Indian Air Force, the officials said.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a>: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthman and his family at RR hospital in Delhi earlier today. <a href="https://t.co/BMGKqgLYDA">pic.twitter.com/BMGKqgLYDA</a>
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Videos that appeared on social media after Abhinandan's capture showed him being beaten by Pakistani villagers before he was rescued by Pakistani army personnel. When he crossed over to India Friday night, Abhinandan's right eye above his handlebar moustache appeared swollen.&nbsp;

Ex-servicemen and strategic affairs experts have said the courage and grace Abhinandan showed while in captivity were exemplary.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Abhinandan's return, saying the nation is proud of his courage.

"Welcome Home Wing Commander Abhinandan! <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/nation-is-proud-of-your-exemplary-courage-pm-modi-on-iaf-pilot-abhinandan-200592">The nation is proud of your exemplary courage</a>. Our armed forces are an inspiration for 130 crore Indians," Modi tweeted Friday night.&nbsp;

Tensions between the India and Pakistan escalated after Indian fighter jets bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near the town of Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday.&nbsp;

Pakistan retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations on Wednesday.&nbsp;

The Indian strike on the JeM camp came 12 days after the terror group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/awantipora-crpf-convoy-hit-by-explosives-laden-vehicle-several-jawans-killed-197418">which killed at least 40 soldiers</a>.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI) 
&nbsp;

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Saturday. Abhinandan was released from Pakistani custody on Friday night and has since then been kept at the Air Force Central Medical Establishment in Delhi.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Saturday. Abhinandan was released from Pakistani custody on Friday night and has since then been kept at the Air Force Central Medical Establishment in Delhi. Abhinandan was captured by the Pakistanis on February 27 after his MiG 21 Bison was shot down during a dogfight with Pakistani jets; he was however able to shoot down a Pakistani F-16 before that. The news agency PTI quoted officials as saying Abhinandan is currently undergoing a series of medical tests as part of a "cooling down" process which is expected to continue till Sunday. Once, the health check up is over, the officials said, Abhinandan will be debriefed. Abhinandan arrived in the national capital around 11:45 PM Friday and soon after was taken to the Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), a compact and specialised medical evaluation centre for aircrew of all the three services. Early Saturday morning, Varthaman met immediate family members as well as several top officials of the Indian Air Force, the officials said. #Visuals: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthman and his family at RR hospital in Delhi earlier today. pic.twitter.com/BMGKqgLYDA — ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2019 × Videos that appeared on social media after Abhinandan's capture showed him being beaten by Pakistani villagers before he was rescued by Pakistani army personnel. When he crossed over to India Friday night, Abhinandan's right eye above his handlebar moustache appeared swollen. Ex-servicemen and strategic affairs experts have said the courage and grace Abhinandan showed while in captivity were exemplary. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Abhinandan's return, saying the nation is proud of his courage. "Welcome Home Wing Commander Abhinandan! The nation is proud of your exemplary courage. Our armed forces are an inspiration for 130 crore Indians," Modi tweeted Friday night. Tensions between the India and Pakistan escalated after Indian fighter jets bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near the town of Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. Pakistan retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations on Wednesday. The Indian strike on the JeM camp came 12 days after the terror group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir which killed at least 40 soldiers. (With inputs from PTI)

Wing Commander Abhinandan undergoing 'cooling down' process, is met by Nirmala Sitharaman

The Samjhauta Express will leave for <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-suspends-samjhauta-express-train-service-200175">Pakistan</a> from Delhi on Sunday after the two neighbours agreed to operationalise services at their ends, a senior railway official told PTI.

The announcement came a day after Pakistan released Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

The official said the first train from <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-pakistan-india-cancels-samjhauta-express-operations-on-its-end-200352">India </a>will leave on March 3.

While Pakistan had cancelled its services right after an air strike by the Indian Air Force, India cancelled the operations of the Samjhauta Express on February 28.

The Railway Board in an order had said all operations of the Attari Special Express, Delhi-Attari-Delhi, which together with the Pakistani line from Wagah-Lahore is known as the Samjhauta or Friendship Express, will remain cancelled.

It had also said that the cancellation was due to "purely operational reasons".

Sources said after the missive about Pakistan's resumption of services was conveyed to the board, it was decided that services on the Indian end will resume too.

The train will start running from the Indian side on Sunday, while on the Pakistan side it will leave Lahore on Monday for its return journey, the official said.?

On the Indian side, the train runs from Delhi to Attari and from Lahore to Wagah on the Pakistan side.

The Samjhauta Express, named after the Hindi word for "agreement", comprises six sleeper coaches and an AC 3-tier coach.&nbsp;

The train service was started on July 22, 1976, under the Shimla Agreement that settled the 1971 war between the two nations.

From Lahore, the train departs on Monday and Thursday. The train operates from Delhi on every Wednesday and Sunday.

The sources said the footfall on the train, which generally records an occupancy of around 70 per cent, had fallen drastically post the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.&nbsp;

The Samjhauta Express will leave for Pakistan from Delhi on Sunday after the two neighbours agreed to operationalise services at their ends, a senior railway official told PTI.

The Samjhauta Express will leave for Pakistan from Delhi on Sunday after the two neighbours agreed to operationalise services at their ends, a senior railway official told PTI. The announcement came a day after Pakistan released Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The official said the first train from India will leave on March 3. While Pakistan had cancelled its services right after an air strike by the Indian Air Force, India cancelled the operations of the Samjhauta Express on February 28. The Railway Board in an order had said all operations of the Attari Special Express, Delhi-Attari-Delhi, which together with the Pakistani line from Wagah-Lahore is known as the Samjhauta or Friendship Express, will remain cancelled. It had also said that the cancellation was due to "purely operational reasons". Sources said after the missive about Pakistan's resumption of services was conveyed to the board, it was decided that services on the Indian end will resume too. The train will start running from the Indian side on Sunday, while on the Pakistan side it will leave Lahore on Monday for its return journey, the official said.? On the Indian side, the train runs from Delhi to Attari and from Lahore to Wagah on the Pakistan side. The Samjhauta Express, named after the Hindi word for "agreement", comprises six sleeper coaches and an AC 3-tier coach. The train service was started on July 22, 1976, under the Shimla Agreement that settled the 1971 war between the two nations. From Lahore, the train departs on Monday and Thursday. The train operates from Delhi on every Wednesday and Sunday. The sources said the footfall on the train, which generally records an occupancy of around 70 per cent, had fallen drastically post the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

Samjhauta Express services restored; train to run from India to Pak to Sunday