Amid the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur walked down the memory lane to recall the horrors of India-Pakistan partition and how his family suffered during that time.
After hearing about the news of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, Kapur shared an incident when his mother played dead to save him and his sister from the massacre that took place on an India-bound train.
"I was born in Lahore. My mother escaped massacre by hiding me n my sister under her body in a train to india. Playing dead. Most people were killed. One million people died in Partition. 10 million refugees. On both sides. India n Pakistan were created of the blood of one people," Kapur tweeted.
Kapur also rooted for the bringing back of Wing Commander Abhinandan and wrote, "#WingCdrAbhinanadan You have become a beacon of courage patriotism and dignity. And also a beacon of hope. We look forward to welcome you home soon, Sir."
Meanwhile, The Retreat Ceremony at the Attari-Wagah joint checkpost between India and Pakistan was cancelled for Friday by the Border Security Force (BSF) as IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is set to return from Pakistan in the evening.
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Shivdular Singh Dhillon told the media at the checkpost that the BSF had cancelled the event due to security reasons.
Scores of enthusiastic people assembled at the border on Friday to receive Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman who is likely to be released by Pakistani authorities.
Varthaman will be debriefed by military and security officials upon his return before being flown to New Delhi from Amritsar.
The BSF, which mans the checkpost and the 553-km International Border with Pakistan in Punjab, is on high alert. Punjab Police and other security agencies stationed additional personnel in the area since Friday morning.
The 35-year-old Wing Commander was captured on Wednesday by Pakistan after his MiG-21 Bison jet was hit by Pakistan Air Force jets near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and it crashed in Pakistani territory.
The impressive Retreat Ceremony attracts up to 15,000 people at the mini-stadium-like 'Viewers' Gallery' when border guards of both countries lower their respective national flags at sunset and mark the closure of the border gates for the night.
The impressive ceremony, which has an energetic and patriotic flavour to it, is conducted jointly by BSF troopers, including women personnel, on the Attari side (in India) and Pakistan Rangers on the Wagah side (in Pakistan) every evening before sunset.
Attari is around 30 km from Amritsar.
(With IANS Inputs)
