Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to be released tomorrow; here's what transpired between India- Pakistan in the last 24 hours

NEW DELHI: As an effort to de-escalate tensions between the two countries, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan today announced that Pakistan is ready to release captured India Air Force Pilot Abhinandan tomorrow.

IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, taken captive by Pakistan yesterday, will be released tomorrow as a "gesture of peace", Imran Khan has declared. The Pakistan Prime Minister was speaking at the country's parliament.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured yesterday after an aerial combat between Indian and Pakistani fighter planes.


India on Tuesday conducted non-military preemptive air strikes on a terror camp in Balakot. A day later, Pakistani jets violated Indian airspace and attempted strikes in Jammu and Kashmir.

Here's what happened in the last 24 Hours
A day after Indian Air Force successfully conducted airstrikes on JeM terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan's military shot down an Indian warplane and captured an Indian pilot named Abhinandan Varthaman,raising tensions. The attack came just hours after Pakistan accused India of firing mortar shells into its side of divided Kashmir, killing six people.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a televised address, called for dialogue and said: "It was our plan to not cause any collateral damage, and not to cause any casualties. We simply wanted to show capability.

Pakistan initially claimed it had two Indian pilots, but amended later that "there is only one pilot" and he is being treated "as per norms of military ethics".

The government summoned the Pakistani envoy and handed over a demarche demanding the "immediate and safe return" of the pilot. It also strongly objected to Pakistan's "vulgar display" of the pilot and said Pakistan "would be well advised to ensure that no harm comes to him". India also handed over evidence that establish JeM links to the Pulwama attack.

Pakistan said it will evaluate with "open heart" the dossier handed over by India on "specific details" of the involvement of the JeM in the Pulwama terror attack and the presence of camps of the UN-proscribed terror group in the country.

Amid tensions yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the military chiefs, the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Defence and Foreign Secretaries and intelligence officials.