Indian Pilot Will Be Released on Friday Says Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan
NEW DELHI : Pakistan will return a captured pilot “as a peace gesture” to India, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday, amid efforts by the United States to defuse a crisis between the two nuclear powers a day after both downed enemy jets.
The pilot, identified by Islamabad as Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman,, became the human face of the latest flare-up following the release of videos showing him being captured and later held in custody.
Wing Commander Abhinandan shot down a F-16 fighter jet of Pakistan before he was captured
Khan said the pilot would be released on Friday, even as his military reported that four Pakistani civilians had been killed by Indian firing across the disputed border in Kashmir.
“As a peace gesture we will be releasing him tomorrow,” Khan told parliament. Khan’s decision came after several other countries offered diplomatic assistance to de-escalate the confrontation between two countries that have almost went to war in 2002 for fourth time since their independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
Khan said the pilot would be released on Friday, even as his military reported that four Pakistani civilians had been killed by Indian firing across the disputed border in Kashmir. “As a peace gesture we will be releasing him tomorrow,” Khan told parliament. Khan’s decision came after several other countries offered diplomatic assistance to de-escalate the confrontation between two countries that have almost went to war in 2002 for fourth time since their independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
Imran Khan declared in the Pakistan National Assembly that he had tried to reach out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”Yesterday, I tried to call (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi to say that we don’t want escalation. But our desire for de-escalation should not be taken as our weakness,” Imran Khan said. “We have an Indian pilot. As a peace gesture, we will release him tomorrow,” said the Pakistan Prime Minister as parliamentarians stamped their feet in approval.
“They have been going at it and we hCrown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Mohamed bin Zayed makes telephone calls to Indian and Pakistani prime ministers, stresses importance of dealing wisely with recent developments and giving prior India must not lose sight of the long term objective of causing Pakistan to give up the use of terror against it and the importance of imposing costs on it until such time that its stops so doing.
The pressure being mounted against it by us should not be eased merely because they have said that they will hand over the pilot in their custody. This is not an act of charity but a requirement under international humanitarian law. Had an already beleaguered Pakistan continued to do so it would only have hurt itself further and come under additional pressure: former deputy NSA Satish Chandraity to dialogue and communication.ave been involved in trying to have them stop,” Trump had said. “We have been in the middle trying to help them both out.” (With Agency Inputs ).
