IAF pilot Abhinandan says he was mentally harassed in Pakistan: Report

New Delhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, on Saturday, was quoted saying by media that Pakistani authorities, however, did not torture him physically but subjected him to considerable "mental harassment" during his 60 hours of custody in the country.

IAF pilot Abhinandan, who was captured by the Pakistani military on Feb 27, after his fighter -a MiG-21 Bison- was struck down in a dogfight by Pakistan's F-16 fighter jet in an aerial combat.

Pakistani officials maintained that Commander Varthaman was initially assaulted by local residents upon parashooting into their territory, but was rescued by Pak army and was treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention after being taken into custody.

Although, the initial photographs of the captured pilot showed him blindfolded and handcuffed by the Pakistani military in an injured condition, but a video released later exhibit the pilot sipping tea and praising Pakistan military for their warm behaviour towards him.

The Pakistan authorities didn't stop there from patting their back for being hospitable towards the IAF commander, they also forced him to record a video praising Pakistan military and their media just before his release.

The 1.24 sec long video, shot in a typical Pakistan style with around 20 cuts, giving a clear message that Abhinandan was forced to say what the Pak authorities wanted to listen, is said to have delayed his handover by three hours.

In the video, Abhinandan praised the Pakistan Army for taking care of him. He, however, said that Indian media misleads people and is also trying to create war hysteria.

The pilot was handed over to Indian authorities around 9.20 pm on March 1, a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that they would return him in a "gesture of peace".