“The tea is fantastic:” Pakistan marks 5th anniversary of 'Operation Swift Retort'

On February 27, 2019, a significant event occurred in Pakistan's military history. The country's armed forces successfully intercepted an Indian intrusion into Pakistani airspace, downing two Indian fighter jets and capturing one Indian pilot.

Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan designated this event as "Operation Swift Retort,” commemorating a successful response to aerial aggression by India.

Following the Pulawa attack on February 14, 2019, in which 44 Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in a suicide bombing in the Pulwama district of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the neighbouring country blamed Islamabad for the attack, but Pakistan vehemently denied these accusations.

In response to allegations by Indian officials, the then-Prime Minister Imran Khan offered to cooperate in the investigation if India provided 'actionable information.' 

He warned that Islamabad would take decisive action in response to any future aggression from Delhi.

On February 26, 2019, India claimed its air force jets destroyed an alleged terrorist camp during an incursion into Pakistan's territory. Indian government initially claimed 350 people were killed in the attack, but denied this later and faced criticism for conflicting statements.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) responded in time by thwarting the attempt of India to infiltrate into Azad Kashmir and forced the enemy planes to flee.

Later, former Director-General of the Pakistani military's Public Relations Department (ISPR), Asif Ghafoor, stated that Indian Air Force aircraft had violated the Line of Control (LoC) by attempting to enter the Muzaffarabad region of Azad Kashmir.

DG ISPR informed the media that due to the timely response of PAF, the Indian aircraft hastily escaped while dropping the payload near Balakot.

The following day, the Indian Air Force attempted another airspace violation on February 27. The Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian planes and an Indian pilot was taken captive.

A video of the captured Indian pilot, released by the government, showed him identifying himself as “Wing Commander Abhinandan Vathaman” and his service number “27981”. However, he refused to provide further information.

In another video, the detained Indian pilot expressed gratitude to the Pakistan Army captain and soldiers for rescuing him from a mob and appreciating their conduct. 

During the interaction, a Pakistani major general inquired if he enjoyed the tea, to which Abhinandan famously replied, "The tea is fantastic." This remark garnered significant attention on news channels and social media.

Addressing a joint session in Parliament on February 28, former prime minister Imran Khan announced that Pakistan would be releasing the pilot as a gesture of peace.

Captured Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was repatriated to India through the Wagah border.