Pakistan to release captive Indian pilot Abhinandan today

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will release captured Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman on Friday (today) as a gesture of peace in order to de-escalate the soaring tensions with New Delhi.

The big announcement was made on Thursday by Prime Minister Imran Khan at a joint session of parliament, summoned to send a strong message to India that the nation is united in the face of Indian belligerent acts.

Abhinandan would be handed over at Wagah border crossing to officials of the Indian High Commission, sources said.

On Feb 27, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) after striking down two Indian fighter jets arrested one pilot, who ejected himself after being hit in the airspace of Pakistan in Azad Jammu and Kashmir — something that came as an unexpected setback for India.

Pakistan military released a video statement of captured Indian Wing Commander Abhinandan.

“I’m wing commander Abhinandan and my service number is 27981,” the arrested Indian pilot said in his video statement.

I’m a flying pilot of the Indian air force (IAF), he continued in his statement.

The situation between the two nuclear-armed states turned hostile in a tit-for-tat airstrikes following the Pulwama attack that killed over 40 Indian troops.

Two fighter jets of Indian Air Force were shot down by Pakistan Air Force in broad day light on Feb 27 as a demonstration of its defense capability towards the violation of Line of Control by Indian fighter jets on Feb 26, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said.