The captured Indian fighter pilot who was attacked by a mob and then paraded on video by Pakistan‘s army, will be released, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday.
“We have an Indian pilot. As a peace gesture we will release him tomorrow,” Khan told a joint sitting of parliament in the capital, Islamabad.
Khan also said he had unsuccessfully tried to make telephone contact with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Wednesday night.
Indian media have given his name as Abhinandan Varthaman.
Following Pakistani villagers and soldiers filming his capture and captivity on Wednesday in clips, that have since gone viral on social media, the pilot identified by Islamabad as Indian Wing Commander Abhinandan fast emerged as the human face of the dangerous flare-up between the arch-foes.
Varthaman and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been at the heart of the crisis between India and Pakistan after the latter claimed
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