What will India do now to bring back IAF pilot Abhinandan captured by Pakistan?

When comparing this to what happened last time during 1999 Kargil war -- when flight lieutenant Kambampati Nachiketa was captured by Pakistan -- today, the dynamics have changed immensely. One of the biggest differences here is the leaders on both sides. PM Modi and Imran Khan have come in power with promises to voters of giving a befitting response to the neighbor. While both have thrown the rhetoric of "peace talk" often, their radical opinions of military action against the neighboring country aren’t hidden from anyone. To that, one must also consider the media, on both sides, and the power it flexes today. Media has played a major role all these years in widening the gap between the two countries -- this time, following the Pulwama attack, giving a cry for war. So, while Pakistan handed back Nachiketa to India after 6-7 days following international pressure --although not without torturing him in that span -- that might not necessarily happen with IAF pilot Abhinandan.

Coming to the theoretical part of how India can bring back IAF pilot Abhinandan, the procedure is governed by the third Geneva Convention, overlooked by International Committee of Red Cross.

The law states that during detention, the Prisoner of War (PoW) must have all the basic human rights; meaning, no torture, abuse or any kind of inhumane act that puts him/her to physical, emotional and psychological trauma. Also, the PoW must get all the amenities a human requires.

The Geneva Convention also states that once the war is over, the country holding prisoner must hand over that prisoner to her/his home country, safely and with respect to the rank that prisoner holds in the armed force.

So, clearly, there are Human Rights, Humanitarian Laws and many propositions of treaties that ensure full protection of IAF Pilot Abhinandan, and his eventual return.

But again, will Pakistan really follow them? Moreover, like almost every law, even these have loopholes and seamless flexibilities that countries can try and use in their own favor.

Meaning, while theoretically, it seems easier to bring back Abhinandan, there exist ample challenges on way to actually make that happen. A big complexity is whether on-going turf between India and Pakistan is really a "war"? If not, can Abhinandan be called "Prisoner of War"? If not, how does International laws and bodies come into play then?

The biggest hope for India right now is diplomacy, through which it can get other countries behind its back to demand the release of IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman. Good thing is, UN, as well as major countries like US, France, UK, and Canada, are all with India already, contending to put Masood Azhar (the mastermind of Pulwama Attack) as "global terrorist". At the moment, all eyes are on China and the stand it takes with everything happening between India and Pakistan.

Even though the Pakistani side has confirmed that it's treating Abhinandan in a good way, it seems quite unbelievable, given the animosity and peaking emotions between the countries.

Provided the media on both sides get back their senses and act to the basic journalistic ethics, hopefully, things get better between India and Pakistan from here on. And that we get back our pilot.