The celebration ceremony of Surprise Day was held at the PAF Headquarters and aired across all media channels on February 27, 2021. And even though it has been two years since the Balakot airstrike occurred, Twitterati are still not over the ‘Swift Retort’ and have a lot to share with their loving neighbours, including some fantastic tea.
For the unversed, the possibility of which is rare, Pakistan shot down two Indian aircrafts violating its airspace on February 27, 2019, capturing one pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The incident not only improved Pakistan’s reputation globally but also unearthed a trove of memes surrounding a video released by the Pakistani military, featuring Abhinandan. In the video, Abhinandan acknowledged how well he had been treated by our military and assured his Indian co-pilots that our “tea is fantastic.”
He says, "I'd like to put this on record: I will not change my statement even when I go back to my country. The officers of the Pakistan Army have looked after me very well, starting from the captain who rescued me from the mob, from the soldiers, and thereafter, the officers of the unit I was taken to. I would expect my army to behave in the same way. And I'm very impressed with the Pakistan Army."
Following this, an officer probes, "I hope you like the tea?" to which Abhinandan replies, "The tea is fantastic, thank you."
Abhinandan was also sent back to India as a gesture of peace on March 1, but Pakistanis have since been sipping on the joke which doesn’t seem to lose its taste. A statue of the Indian pilot has also been installed at the PAF Museum in Karachi and many take a jibe at it to this day.
Thus, on Saturday, many took to Twitter to wish India a Happy Surprise Day, including Fakhr e Alam, who took a dig at the Indian Air Force saying, “Surprise Day Mubarak! Anyone else looking for Pakistani hospitality or a fantastic cup of tea, please do come visit.”
Surprise Day Mubarik...... any one else looking for Pakistani hospitality or a fantastic cup of tea please do come visit. #27FebDayOfFantasticTea
— Fakhr-e-Alam (@falamb3) February 27, 2021
But on a kinder and stern note, he went on, “Remember: Pakistan wants peace with all its neighbours. We have offered dialogue many times. But when lunatics blinded with ego, an extreme ideology and a looming election decide to challenge our sovereignty, we are united as a nation and we respond with surprises.”
Shaan Shahid also shared, "#topgun you make us Proud, the nation honours you with #Love , #prayers , and #respect true sons of the soil . #27thfeb2019 #makepeacenotwar #balakotairstrike #PAF #abhinandan #2yearsoffantastictea #mig21 #Pakistanairforcezindabad #pakarmyzindabad @OfficialDGISPR"
#topgun🇵🇰👍🏼 you make us Proud♥️.. the nation honours you with #Love , #prayers , and #respect true sons of the soil . #27thfeb2019 #makepeacenotwar #balakotairstrike #PAF #abhinandan #2yearsoffantastictea #mig21 #Pakistanairforcezindabad #pakarmyzindabad @OfficialDGISPR pic.twitter.com/y37oEM6R6b
— Shaan Shahid (@mshaanshahid) February 26, 2021
Meanwhile, a user also shared a video of Abhinandan being taken into custody in a car with a ‘pawri’ spin on it.
Pawri Time 😂😂#BalakotAirStrike#Abhinandan #آؤ_چائے_پلائیں#WorldsBiggestTeaParty pic.twitter.com/JvnL1GNM6q
— Hassan (@Hassan2__) February 27, 2021
Others revamped old jokes about Abhinandan’s cup of tea being quite an expensive one.
A most expensive Cup of Tea in the world was served to Indian 🇮🇳 pilot that costs a MIG-21😁😂#BalakotAirStrike #HappySurpriseDayIndia#Abhinandan pic.twitter.com/KSdGP87QAY
— Paras (@Paras8210) February 27, 2021
Twitter also saw cakes reading ‘Happy Surprise Day’.
#HappySurpriseDayIndia
— Ayatt .💔 (@00_Ayatt) February 27, 2021
Many many happy returns of the day dear India#آؤ_چائے_پلائیں@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/fUYGzLdLUL
The micro blogging site witnessed users sharing an array of photos of celebrities from around the world, drinking tea with the hashtag #World’sBiggestTeaParty. A photo of Virat Kohli about to have tea also made it.
Virat is also in😃 @DennisCricket_#WorldsBiggestTeaParty#SurpriseDay pic.twitter.com/bL2Az2UANa
— Kiran_Aman (@kiran_aman567) February 27, 2021
Happy #WorldsBiggestTeaParty day from Canada 🇨🇦. Even @JustinTrudeau thinks #TeaIsFantastic @DennisCricket_ pic.twitter.com/4dqjK4ZDsE
— Emran Aziz (@aziz_emran) February 27, 2021
Not only that, the PSL6 stadium screens also shared ads from several tea brands who revamped Abhinandan’s ‘Tea is fantastic’ to fit their brand identities. Ali Hassan, a Twitter user, went on to honour Abhinandan saying by sharing one of these ads with a tweet. “Paying homage to one of the greatest pilots in history, whose face shows tears of joy. Our cup of tea cost him his MiG-21 and he still bought it.”
Paying homage to one of the great pilots in the history.😂
— Ali Hassan (@AliHass87777848) February 26, 2021
Prize of mig-21= A cup of fantastic tea..#Abhinandan pic.twitter.com/l58JmyilQo
Who did this 😂😂😂#teaisfantastic #PSL6 pic.twitter.com/N7hwfwZLl4
— iqra🖤 (@iqra_tweets_) February 20, 2021
Sadaf Ikram, another user, added, “Thank you Abhinandan for fueling creative thinking in Pakistanis!” as she shared a truck art of him with the saying, “Professional ban, Abhinandan ban.”
Asad Umar also chimed in to mark the occasion. He wrote, “Two years ago, we showed the world that Pakistan is capable of defending itself against an aggressor many times bigger and with greater resources. We want peace but will not be dictated to. Work collaboratively…Or come have more tea. Choice is yours.”
Two years ago, we showed the world that Pakistan is capable of defending itself against an aggressor many times bigger & with greater resources. We want peace but will not be dictated to. Work collaboratively ... Or come have more tea.. Choice is yours #HappySurpriseDayIndia
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) February 27, 2021
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F16 Pilot who died on the same day is long forgotten. Sad.