'Peace gesture'
Pakistan retaliated to the Indian air attacks by shooting down a MiG-21 fighter jet on Wednesday and detained its pilot, who was returned to India on Friday in a "peace gesture". Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman crossed the Wagah-Attari border at around 9pm local time (16:00 GMT) on Friday, hours later than expected. A press statement by Pakistan's foreign ministry said Varthaman has been returned to India and that he was treated "with dignity" during his custody. "While in captivity, he was treated with dignity and in line with international law. Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr Imran Khan announced his return as a goodwill gesture aimed at de-escalating rising tensions with India," said the statement. Varthaman had become a national hero after purported footage that went viral showed him being beaten by locals after being shot down before Pakistani soldiers intervened, with social media abuzz with #GivebackAbhinandan and #Abhinandanmyhero hashtags. His polite refusal to proffer more details than necessary - "I am sorry major, I am not supposed to tell you this" - won the handlebar-moustached pilot particular sympathy in India. Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, said the situation remained "critical" following Varthaman's release amid concerns over how to "defuse this escalating crisis". "The Pakistani military is on full red alert, they are flying constant air patrols all over Pakistan and although the airspace has been open, the movement of aircraft between India and Pakistan, especially commercial aircraft is still under restrictions," said Hyder.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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