A Pakistani soldier who claimed to have captured an Indian Air Force Wing Commander, Abhinandan Varthaman, was gunned down in an Encounter in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan. The death happened in a gunfight with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in South Waziristan. The 37-year-old officer from Chakwal was fatally shot, along with Lance Naik Jibranullah. The TTP, once believed to be Pakistan’s own creation, has now emerged as a threat to the country and the system apparatus itself.
Major Moiz Abbas
Major Shah rose to prominence for capturing India’s Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman during the 2019 Balakot strike. The officer hailed from Pakistan’s Chakwal and served in the elite Special Service Group (SSG) was leading an anti-terror operation when he was fatally shot, along with Lance Naik Jibranullah. The Pakistan Army claimed they had killed 11 TTP members in the encounter, and 2 soldiers were killed during an intelligence-based operation on Tuesday.
Abhinandan Varthaman
The officer became a national hero in 2019 during the military standoff between India and Pakistan that followed the Pulwama terror attack. During India’s retaliatory air operation after the Balakot airstrikes, Wing Commander Abhinandan was flying a MiG-21 Bison jet. In the course of the mission, he engaged in an aerial dogfight with Pakistani Air Force jets. His plane was shot down, and he landed in an area controlled by Pakistan. He was then caught by the Pakistani army.
TTP’s Origins
The TTP was formed in 2007 after the Pakistani army took action against Islamabad’s Lal Masjid (Red Mosque). One of its early leaders, Qari Hussain Mehsud, who had earlier worked with Jaish-e-Mohammed, trained suicide bombers for both TTP and Jaish.
Many top TTP leaders, including the current head, Noor Wali Mehsud, received training in camps run by Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. These camps were allegedly supported by Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI. Several TTP members were also trained to attack Pakistan’s Shia Muslim community.
