Remember the Indian Air Force pilot with gunslinger mustache who became the face of India-Pakistan military conflict in February this year after the military jets of the South Asian neighbours engaged in a dogfight?
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is once again dragged into the rivalry between India and Pakistan, albeit of a different kind.
Competing television ads have emerged from both countries ahead of the much-hyped India v Pakistan encounter in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup in England on Sunday.
In the latest ad for Mobile service provider Jazz, an actor who is made to look like Wing Commander Varthaman is answering questions in the similar way the Indian pilot did during his interrogation by Pakistani officers when he was in their custody, saying “I’m not supposed to tell you that” to questions on his mission and the operation.
Wing Cdr Varthaman was the pilot of an Indian MiG21 fighter jet and he was taken into custody after his jet fell inside Pakistan territory following a dogfight with a Pakistani military jet.
Videos showed him being questioned by Pakistani officers while the Indian pilot sipped tea. In earlier videos, he appeared bloodied, blindfolded and his hands tied. But those videos were taken off the Pakistani official channels.
The ad is dividing the social media with some calling it "distasteful", while others see it as "brilliant work".
Earlier, Star Sport- the official broadcaster of Cricket World Cup in India - released an ad touching upon Pakistan’s inability to beat India in a Cricket World cup. Though the previous versions of “Mauka-Mauka” ads were well received, it is being criticised for being this time.
India and Pakistan have played one another nine times in ICC World Cups, including the final of the 2007 T20 Cricket World Cup. While Pakistan’s overall head-to-head record is better than India’s, the country hasn’t been able to beat arch-rival India even once in the biggest cricket tournament.
