Meet The Woman Who Accompanied IAF Officer Abhinandan Varthaman

IAF officer Abhinandan Varthaman is back home from Pakistan. At 9.20 pm on Friday, he crossed over to the Indian soil through the gates of the Attari-Wagah border. In all the pictures that showed Varthaman walking towards his home country was a woman who accompanied him. While most people mistook her for his wife, she was actually Dr Fariha Bugti. She is an FSP (equivalent to India's IFS) officer and presently is in charge of handling India affairs at Pakistan's Foreign office.

She is also one of the main Pakistani officials handling the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is in Pakistan captivity. Jadhav has been accused of being an Indian spy. Bugti also accompanied Jadhav when he met his mother and wife in Islamabad last year.

Dr Fariha Bugti is one of the most distinguished officers in Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is responsible for looking after and diplomatically handling complicated Indo-Pak cases

In Friday's exchange, Bugti was seen walking IAF pilot Abhinandan up to the zero line.

She is one of the most distinguished officers in Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is responsible for looking after and diplomatically handling complicated Indo-Pak cases. Bugti is also at the forefront in handling the recent tension between India and Pakistan. She has used the diplomatic channel to ensure de-escalation as the political establishment doesn’t want to go for war at this crucial juncture.

ALSO READ: Wing Commander Abhinandan’s Mother, Dr Shobha, Is A True Soldier

Bugti is the only woman officer working in the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan who belongs to Balochistan. She joined FSP in 2005. She has always been lauded for her communication skills and for being a thorough professional.

IAF officer Varthaman was captured by Pakistani authorities on February 27 after an air combat between the forces of the two countries, a day after New Delhi conducted counter-terror operations in Pakistan's Balakot. Pakistani officials released a video of his capture which showed him getting attacked by a mob and the Pakistan military rescuing him. Later, he was taken in by the Pakistan military and they again released a video which showed a calmer Varthaman sipping tea and interacting with the officials there.

What touched the whole country was that despite being under difficult circumstances, the IAF pilot did not lose his cool and fielded all questions with absolute bravery.

Picture credit- Firstpost

More Stories by Poorvi Gupta