Pakistan hands over captured pilot to India
Pakistan has handed over an Indian pilot captured after his plane was shot down by the military amid a dramatic confrontation between the rival countries over the disputed Kashmir region.
Officials brought the pilot, identified as Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, to the border crossing with India at Wagah and handed him back.
On the Indian side of the border, officials greeted the pilot who was in a dark blue suit, accompanied by a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Islamabad has said that the handover was a gesture of peace that could defuse tensions and avoid another war between India and Pakistan.
Mr Varthaman was shot down on Wednesday in the Pakistani-held area of Kashmir.
His handover took several hours as a roster of procedures were completed including a medical check-up to verify his health and condition before being handed over to his countrymen.
Indians dance as they welcome Indian fighter pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at the border (Prabhjot Gill/AP)
In a video message aired on Pakistani television channels, Mr Varthaman was seen in his green flight suit saying he was rescued by two Pakistani military personnel when he ejected and found himself in Pakistani controlled Kashmir surrounded by a small mob of seemingly angry residents.
It was not clear when he recorded this statement, but it was clearly while he was in the custody of the Pakistan military.
On the Indian side of the border, policemen and military personnel greeted Mr Varthaman who was dressed in civilian clothes, wearing a blue blazer and grey dress pants.
Earlier in the day, the road on the Indian side of the border was lined with well-wishers. But by the time Mr Varthaman crossed at around 9pm local time, most people had dispersed.
The handover came against the backdrop of blistering cross-border attacks across the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir that continued for a fourth straight day, even as the two nuclear-armed neighbours sought to defuse their most serious confrontation in two decades.
Tens of thousands of Indian and Pakistani soldiers face off along the Kashmir boundary known as the Line of Control, in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
Tensions have been running high since Indian aircraft crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday carrying out what India called a pre-emptive strike against militants blamed for a February 14 suicide bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 40 Indian troops.
Pakistan retaliated, shooting down two Indian aircraft on Wednesday and capturing the pilot.
Since the escalation, world leaders have scrambled to head off an all-out war on the Asian subcontinent.
President Donald Trump in Hanoi on Thursday said he had been involved in seeking to de-escalate the conflict.
Imran Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, told politicians on Thursday, “We are releasing the Indian pilot as a goodwill gesture tomorrow”.
But India made it clear that the latest escalation has changed its strategy and that going forward, it will strike, including inside Pakistan, if they receive intelligence of an attack in the planning.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Thursday warned “India’s enemies are conspiring to create instability in the country through terror attacks”.
Also on Friday, Pakistan’s civil aviation authority partially re-opened the country’s airspace, allowing travel to four major cities, another sign tensions were de-escalating.
The agency issued a statement saying all domestic and international flights will be allowed to and from the cities of Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta.
It said other airports, including the one located in the eastern city of Lahore that borders India, will remain closed until March 4.
