ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday announced that Pakistan will release Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman on Friday as a peace gesture.
The pilot was captured by Pakistani forces after his jet was downed Thursday.
The prime minister was giving a policy statement at a joint sitting of both houses of parliament convened to discuss the situation that has emerged after India’s intrusion of Pakistan’s airspace .
He said even before being sworn in as prime minister in July, he had said that Pakistan would take two steps towards India if India takes one steps towards it, because of the poverty in both nations.
Khan once again raised the question of what his country was supposed to gain from the Pulwama attack which India blamed on Pakistan “within an hour” after the attack.
After Indian aircraft violated airspace, Pakistan waited to ascertain the damages instead of reacting immediately. He said Pakistan showed responsibility despite knowing people’s sentiment after India violated Pakistan’s airspace.
He said he has tried to contact his Indian counterpart after the incident. “Tension neither benefits Pakistan nor India,” he said.
He said Pakistan and India should not even think of a war with kinds of weapons they have in their possession.
Extracted from report in The News, Pakistan