Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said his government will release Indian Air Force pilot tomorrow as peace gesture. Khan made the announcement in his address to the joint session of Pakistani parliament.
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is in Pakistan Army’s custody since Wednesday morning. He had landed on the other side of the Line of Control after his aircraft fell down during aerial dogfight between India and Pakistan, reports HT.
During his address in the joint session of Pakistani parliament, Khan said he is ready to have dialogue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said, “I tried to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as I want to de-escalate prevailing tension between the two countries.”
“I appeal to India and Narendra Modi not to escalate the situation further. It would not be in favour of either India or Pakistan given the kind of weapons the two countries have,” said Khan. He defended violation of Indian airspace by Pakistan Air Force saying the country was forced to “retaliate” following action by India.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s offered a “deal” to India on the IAF pilot. He said Pakistan was ready to release the pilot if it meant “de-escalation” of the current tension between the two countries.
On Thursday, India rejected the “deal offer” saying it wanted immediate release of the IAF pilot. New Delhi also rejected the proposal for dialogue with Pakistan until it takes “concrete” steps against terror outfits.