IS INDIAN PILOT VIOLATING INTERNATIONAL LAW! INDIAN PILOT ABHINANDAN. Indian pilot, Wing Commander AbhiNaandan Vartman, is in the custody of Pakistan Army after being ARRESTED on Tuesday.— Inter-Services Public Relations. His status as a prisoner of war (PoW) under international law is being debated upon, along with whether, and if, as a PoW, he is being afforded adequate protections by Pakistan. The Geneva Conventions, to which both Pakistan and India are signatories, apply in all cases of armed conflict which may arise between two or more High Contracting Parties (states are High Contracting Parties). The fact that India and Pakistan have not openly declared war against one another does not negate the application of the Conventions. As long as the two parties to the Conventions engage in de facto hostilities, the rules and protections of the Conventions apply. PoWs and their rights ...