The ‘mystery’ woman accompanying Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as he walked back through the gates of Attari-Wagah border is none other than Fariha Bugti, Director India in Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
As photographs of IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman along with Bugti flashed on TV channels and social media, everyone was kept guessing if she is a family member. Some Indian media outlets had already described her as Abhinandan’s wife or sister.
As Abhinandan Varthaman, dressed in a blue jacket, walked across the Zero Line at the Attari-Wagah border at 9.20 pm, he was accompanied by Group Captain JT Kurien, Air Advisor in the Indian High Commission, apart from Bugti.
A Facebook post shared by Bugti on Friday afternoon, read. “What happened on the day of ‘Fatah Mecca’ all the prisoners were released by prophet (pbuh) there is a hidden lesson in this release not everyone can understand.”
Bugti reportedly is also one of main Pakistani officials handling the high-profile case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is facing the death penalty in Pakistan on charges of espionage.
Back in December 2017, when Jadhav met his mother Avanti and wife Chetankul at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, Bugti was also present as representative from Pakistan.