A ‘survivor’ of the devastating earthquake of 2005 has returned to Balakot to search for his family, DAWN has reported.
On Sunday, Ijaz Ahmed contacted local police to ask for their help in searching for his family.
He said that his school was razed in the 2005 earthquake when he was a child. Injured by the collapse of the building, he was shifted to Rawalpindi for treatment.
Ahmed claims he was abducted and sold to people linked to brick kilns. “I was sold four times in different cities and worked as a bonded labourer at brick kilns,” he told DAWN.
He told the police that his father’s name was Anwar while his mother’s name was Naseem Akhtar.
A large number of people showed up at the police station upon hearing the news. Miraculously, Anwar was among the crowd.
The father and son had a tearful reunion. Police have said they will carry out DNA tests to ascertain paternity.
Looks like Pakistanis will never let Indians forget about their little misadventure in Pakistan, Balakot to be precise.
Soon after Kangana Ranaut shared a new look of her upcoming film Tejas in which she is seen standing next to a jet in uniform, Feroze Khan invited the actor to Pakistan for tea.
“New jets?,” commented Feroze. “I see! Come over for chai (tea) sometime with us.”
The Pakistani actor was referring to last year’s incident in which the Pakistan Air Force shot down an Indian jet in Balakot and captured the pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. However, he was released a day later by Prime Minister Imran Khan as a goodwill gesture to promote peace between the two countries.
Later, Feroze engaged with some of the Indian trolls himself and said that he will “fight for what I think is right”.
– google’s CEO is sunder pichai … you think they will project Pakistan in any good shape? Recently shot down a aircraft – the recent https://t.co/PgpC8pyp7r
and that’s what I am now about to do at the cost of anything I will fight for what I think is right… I don’t care who thinks what. https://t.co/OU3DqGFdWd
— Kangana Ranaut (Modi Ka Parivar) (@KanganaTeam) August 28, 2020
The film which is being produced by the makers of Uri: The Surgical Strike is scheduled to go on floors by the end of this year.
Speaking about the film, Kangana, in a statement said: “Tejas is an exhilarating story where I have the privilege of playing an air force pilot. I am honoured to be a part of a film that celebrates these brave men and women in uniform who make immense sacrifices in the line of duty every day. Our film celebrates the armed forces and its heroes.”
Meanwhile, director Sarvesh Mewara while speaking about the project said: “My film is a reflection of the current sentiment in our country. We celebrate our armed forces and I hope to further evoke a spirit of patriotism and nationalism through my storytelling. Kangana is a strong woman with a voice that resonates with the youth of this nation and I cannot wait to begin shooting with Kangana.”
The film is expected to be shot in Mumbai and Rajasthan. A release date has not yet been announced.
Not like we didn’t see this coming, but award-winning filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Bushan Kumar have announced a film on the Balakot ‘airstrike’.
According to details, the film will be written and directed by Abhishek Kapoor. The cast has not yet been announced.
DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor had a few thoughts on the matter which he voiced on Twitter.
With due respect to WC Abhinandan as a soldier, yes the dream could only be fulfilled through Bollywood. Denial of sham strike on 26 Feb and wreckage of 2 IAF jets shot by PAF on 27 Feb will haunt you despite that.
Previously, Vivek Oberoi had also announced a film on IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.
“As a proud Indian, a patriot, and a member of the film fraternity, it’s my duty to highlight what our Armed Forces are truly capable of. In the form of a trilingual, this film is a powerful tool to underline the achievements of brave officers like Wing Commander Abhinandan, who went behind the enemy lines and did what makes every Indian proud of them,” Vivek had said while announcing the film, which is expected to release in 2020. It will be shot in the backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Agra.
BALAKOT INCIDENT
Following the Pulwama incident in which 44 Indian paramilitary soldiers lost their lives, two Indian aircraft entered Pakistani air space on February 27, 2019 for the second time in two days, engaged with Pakistan Air Force (PAF), and as a result, were shot down.
The wreckage of one of the planes landed in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK), and the wreckage of the other plane landed in the Indian-occupied Kasmir (IoK), Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had confirmed at the time.
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was held captive following the aerial dogfight, was handed over to India on March 1 in a peace gesture after PM Imran had announced to release him in an attempt to “de-escalate tensions” between the two countries.
By the end of next month, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be receiving bunker buster version of Israel-made Spice 2000 bombs, which the country is reported to have used in the failed Balakot airstrikes in February, India Today reported.
According to reports, India and France had signed a Rs3 billion deal with Israel to acquire the bomb that has a standoff range of 60km and approaches the target using its scene-matching algorithm.
It consists of an add-on kit for warheads such as the MK-84, BLU-109, APW and RAP-2000; and was also used by the IAF in a failed attempt to bomb the religious seminaries in Balakot in February this year.
The attack had been foiled by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) that had forced Indian pilots to abort their mission and return in haste.
India had also later failed to support its claims with facts as observers and international media reported that the seminaries New Delhi had claimed to have destroyed, were standing even days after the intrusion.
