Pakistan To Release Indian Pilot As A Peace Gesture - Imran Khan

India is waiting for the release of a pilot who has been in Pakistani custody since he was shot down over Kashmir on Wednesday, a goodwill gesture which could defuse the gravest crisis in the disputed border region in years.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that the pilot, whose jet was downed during a dogfight between Pakistani and Indian warplanes, would be released Friday as a "gesture for peace."
Despite the planned release of the pilot, tensions in the region continued Thursday. Indian Army Major General Surinder Singh Bahal told a joint news conference of India's Army, Navy and Air Force in New Delhi on Thursday that India remains on "high alert."
Pakistan said four civilians were killed by Indian fire across the Line of Control, which separates Indian-controlled Kashmir from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. India's army accused Pakistan of initiating the exchange of fire on Thursday.
Khan's announcement came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that "the entire country is ... standing with our soldiers" after several days of military exchanges between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

On Wednesday, Pakistan said its air force shot down two Indian fighter jets over Kashmir. India confirmed the loss of one plane and said it shot down a Pakistani jet as it responded to the incident.
Indian Wing Commander Abhinandan has been in Pakistani custody since then. Pakistan infuriated Delhi by publishing a video of the pilot which was then circulated on social media.
Khan's remarks came as US President Donald Trump told of "attractive news" from Pakistan and India after his summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un concluded Thursday in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
"They've been going at it, and we've been involved in trying to have them stop," Trump said. "And we have some reasonably decent news, hopefully that's going to be coming to an end."
Modi also called on the people of India to "stand like a wall or a rock" against terrorists who try to "destabilize the country."
The escalating crisis has also led to the closure of Pakistani airspace, disrupting thousands of flights worldwide for two consecutive days.
Thousands of people were stranded by affected airlines that not only land in Pakistan, but fly over its airspace -- one of the major routes from southeast Asia into Europe.

 

SOURCE : EDITION.CNN.COM

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