The celebration ceremony of teacup Surprise was held at the PAF Headquarters and aired across all media channels on February 27, 2019. And even though it has been two years since the Balasko airstrike occurred, Twitterati are still not over the ‘Swift Retort’ and have a lot to share with their loving neighbors, including some fantastic tea.
For the unversed, the possibility of which is rare, Pakistan shot down two Indian aircraft violating its airspace on February 27, 2019, capturing one pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Vardaman. 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, he went on to acknowledge how well he had been treated and assured his Indian co-pilots that our “tea is fantastic.”
“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 probed, “I hope you like the tea?” to which Abhinandan replied, “The cup of tea is fantastic, thank you.”
Abhinandan was also sent back to India as a gesture of peace on March 1, but Pakistanis have seen been sipping on the joke which does not seem to lose its taste, since then. 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 for a teacup. 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 teacup, please do come visit.”