Pakistan has freed an Indian fighter pilot captured after his plane was shot down in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, amid rising tensions.
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was handed over to Indian officials near a border crossing with Pakistan. Minutes earlier, the pilot said on Pakistani TV that he was « very impressed » by the Pakistan army.
On Thursday Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said the pilot’s release was a « peace gesture » to India.
India and Pakistan – both nuclear powers – claim all of Kashmir, but each controls only parts of it.
On Friday Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the events of the past few days had « brought our nation closer ». « The way the nation has supported our armed forces is extraordinary and I bow to every Indian for that, » he said.
The pilot is being hailed as a hero in India, where crowds have been gathering carrying banners and garlands at the symbolic Wagah border crossing – the only legal crossing between India and Pakistan.Tensions between the two countries have escalated sharply in the past few weeks.