The Pakistani soldier who captured Abhinandan Varthaman during the 2019 Balakot airstrike fallout has now been killed by Pakistan’s own enemies. According to NDTV, Major Syed Muiz was shot dead by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sararogha area.
Major Muiz was a part of Pakistan’s elite 6th Commando Battalion under the Special Services Group (SSG). He had taken credit for nabbing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman after the IAF pilot ejected over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2019.
It’s a dramatic twist in the long, complex saga of India-Pakistan tensions.
The Balakot Backdrop
The Balakot airstrikes were India’s bold reply to the Pulwama terror attack, where a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden Maruti Eeco van into a convoy of CRPF jawans. Over 40 Indian soldiers were martyred.
The attacker, Adil Ahmad Dar, was a member of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terror group trained and supported in Pakistan. India hit back hard. A fleet of Mirage 2000 jets crossed into Pakistan-controlled territory and dropped Spice 2000 bombs on JeM camps near Bisian, deep inside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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Enter Abhinandan
During a dogfight that followed the airstrikes, Abhinandan Varthaman, flying an old MiG-21 Bison, shot down a Pakistani F-16—a feat many called impossible. But the brave pilot flew into enemy territory and had to eject. He was captured by the Pak Army and paraded in videos for the world to see.
But the tide turned quickly. Massive international pressure and India’s diplomatic push forced Pakistan to release Abhinandan within 60 hours. He returned a national hero and was later awarded the Vir Chakra and promoted to Group Captain.
The Irony
Now, years later, the man who claimed to have captured India’s hero has been killed—not by India, but by Pakistan’s internal rot. The Pakistani Taliban (TTP), a militant group that fights the Pakistani military, claimed responsibility for Major Muiz’s killing.
This isn’t just a headline. It’s a reflection of how Pakistan’s policy of nurturing terror is imploding from within.
Abhinandan Varthaman stood tall for India in 2019. His captor, once praised in Pakistan, has now become a victim of the same violent system his country helped grow.
Call it karma. Call it poetic justice. Either way, history remembers heroes. Not their captors.
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