Pakistan will set free the captured Indian air force pilot,wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman, as a peace gesture on Friday, thecountry’s Prime Minister Imran Khan announced Thursday.
“In our desire for peace, I announce that tomorrow (Friday),and as a first step to open negotiations, Pakistan will be releasing the Indianair force officer in our custody,” Khan said during a joint session of theparliament, and evoked thumping of desks by the lawmakers.
Pakistan is ready for talks with India on all issuesincluding terrorism, Khan said, maintaining that dialogue is the “only way” forpeace and stability in the region.
Khan cautioned that the situation should not “get out ofhand, otherwise Pakistan will have to retaliate”.
Speaking on alleged ‘war hysteria’ across the border, hesaid: “I’m afraid there might be a miscalculation”.
“Countries are ruined because of miscalculation. War is nota solution. If India takes any action, we will have to retaliate”.
The prime minister reiterated that talks over Kashmir areimportant.
“I have a feeling that the Indian public does not agree withthe current government’s warmongering. If their media had seen what our mediahas seen over the past 17 years, they would not have created this warhysteria”.
He although “India blamed suicide attacks on Islamicradicalism, it was a common tactic employed by Hindu fighters belonging to theTamil Tigers prior to 9/11”.
“They weren’t doing it because of their religion. Suicideattacks are a weapon of the weak. They are done out of desperation,” the PMsaid.
He said that India had blamed Pakistan for the Pulwamaattack without proof. “Shouldn’t they be asking why a 19-year-old agreed tobecome a human bomb?” he asked, referring to the video of the Kashmiri youthwho had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack.
“All of this issue is because of Kashmir,” he said.
“I want to ask the Indian public about all that has happenedover the past 4 years. There is an indigenous movement in Kashmir. At onepoint, Kashmiri leaders had not wanted separation, but because of Indianbrutality, today all they demand is independence,” he said.
“Einstein’s theory of madness is ‘doing the same thing overand over again and expecting a different result.’ How long will Pakistan beblamed for everything in Kashmir? And asked to take action without any proof?”
Khan said he tried to call Narendra Modi on the phonebecause “escalation is not in our interests nor in India’s”.
Khan said Pakistan acted with restraint following theBalakot incident because it “wanted to be absolutely sure it did not cause anydamage beyond what had been inflicted on it”.
“The only purpose of our strike was to demonstrate ourcapability and will. We did not want to inflict any casualty on India as wewanted to act in a responsible manner.”
“Pakistani media was very mature,” Khan said.
“They didn’t do any war mongering. But it was upsetting tosee the kind of war hysteria created in India (by its media),” he said.
He said Pakistan had offered dialogue to India but theresponse was “not good”.
“We realised that it was not good because of the upcomingelections,” he said.
Khan regretted military escalation and asked why “India senta dossier on Pulwama today (February 28, two days after attacking Pakistan’ssovereignty”.
“Could this not have been done earlier?” he asked. “We hadalready offered to investigate and cooperate.”
Chairing a cabinet meeting later, Khan briefed the membersabout the latest developments in the Indo-Pak relations following the Pulwamaattack on February 14 and subsequent aerial engagement by the two countries’fighter jets.
“Dialogue is the only way for peace and stability in theregion,” he said. “I had made an offer to India to investigate the Pulwamaattack and hold dialogue on bilateral issues”.
“Pakistan is ready for talks with India on all issuesincluding terrorism,” Geo news quoted Khan as telling the cabinet members.
A 12-point agenda, including the current security situation,was discussed during the meeting and the ministers of foreign affairs anddefence briefed the cabinet on the Indian “aggression”, sources said.
The report quoted Khan as saying that he “tried to call Modilast night” (Wednesday).
Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who hadearlier in the day said Pakistan iswilling to consider returning the pilot if it leads to “de-escalation” oftensions with India, said Khan is ready to talk to Prime Minister Modi tode-escalate Indo-Pak tensions.
“Prime Minister Imran Khan is ready to talk to Narendra Modion the telephone and ready to extend an invitation of peace. Is Modi ready?” hetold Geo News.
Qureshi added: “I have just received the (Indian) dossier(on the Pulwama terror attack) and have not gotten the chance to examine it…Iwill still say that we will see and examine the dossier with an open heart. Iwish they (India) would have sent this dossier earlier. They attacked first andthen sent the dossier. If they would have sent the dossier first and soughtPakistan’s answer, there would be no need for an attack”.
“If there is de-escalation with the return of this (Indian)pilot, Pakistan is willing to consider this. We are ready for all positiveengagement,” he said.
Asserting that Pakistan had been calling for peace since dayone, Qureshi said: “If India wants to talk about terrorism, then we are ready”.
“You (India) want to risk regional stability for politics,”he said, in an apparent reference to upcoming parliamentary elections in India.”It could be the need of politics but history will not forgive you.”
Qureshi asked: “God forbid there is a war, Pakistan will beaffected but will India’s economy not suffer?”
The minister added that the Saudi foreign minister wasdeparting for Pakistan.
He also welcomed US president Donald Trump’s statement onPakistan-India tensions.
The pilot bailed out and landed in Pakistan-administeredKashmir (PaK) after his MiG 21 was brought down during a fierce aerialengagement on Wednesday with Pakistan air force fighters along the Line ofControl in Jammu and Kashmir.
As international pressure mounted on India and Pakistan toshow restraint and deescalate tensions, Trump said the US has some “reasonablyattractive news” from the two countries.
Qureshi also said Saudi foreign minister Adel al Jubeir willvisit Islamabad on Thursday “carrying an important message” from the Saudicrown prince Muhammad Bin Salman.
In New Delhi, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to India called onPrime Minister Modi.
Pakistani air force on Wednesday carried out a retaliatorystrike across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and attempted to targetmilitary installations, a day after Indian struck across LoC and said itdestroyed “the biggest terrorist training camp” of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)”.
Pakistan’s foreign office (FO) said wing commander Varthamanwas safe and sound.
In Delhi, top government sources said the IAF pilot cannotbe a bargaining chip and that India will not strike any deal with Pakistan forhis release.
The sources said India has not sought any consular access towing commander Varthaman as his immediate release is “non-negotiable” and thatthe onus on deescalating tension between the two countries lies entirely onIslamabad.
“We want him backunharmed, unconditionally and immediately. He is not a bargaining chip. Thereis no question of any deal with Pakistan on his return,” the sources added.
The father of Varthaman said he was proud of his son’sbravery and thanked the people for their support and good wishes.
In a statement, S Varthaman, a retired air marshal, referredto a purported video of his son after his capture, and said he spoke like a”true soldier” despite being in captivity and that he was praying he would notget tortured in the neighbouring country and return home “safe and sound”.
The government sources when asked on talks with Khan saidPakistan must first take “concrete and specific anti-terror steps”.
They also said foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale briefedenvoys of several countries including from China, France, Russia, the UnitedKingdom, and the United States on PAF targeting Indian military installations,in “an aggressive behaviour resulting in escalation in tensions”.
The sources indicated that Pakistan’s efforts to link therelease of the pilot with “de-escalation” of tensions with India has not gonedown well in New Delhi.
They said the Pakistan prime minister has to walk the talkon investigating the Pulwama attack and that India wants immediate, “credibleand verifiable action against terrorists and their proxies”.
Pakistan has to take concrete steps against JeM, the sourcessaid when asked about Khan’s offer of talks with India, the sources said,alleging that Pakistan was deliberately whipping up war psychosis and trying tomislead the international community on the situation.
Denouncing Pakistan’s breach of the Line of Control, theysaid their air force “specifically targeted Indian military facilities, whilewe targeted only JeM terror camp”.
About Wednesday’s aerial raid by Pakistan, the sources saidover 20 aircraft flew towards Indian air space out of which a few crossed theLine of Control and targeted Indian military facilities.
They fired laser guided bombs and narrowly missed ourmilitary installations, the sources said, rejecting Khan’s remarks that thePakistani jets did not target Indian defence bases.
Defence ministry officials said Pakistan’s claims that itsair force did not target the Indian military installations during Wednesday’sair intrusion were false.
They said the Pakistani jets clearly targeted multiplemilitary installations in Naushera and Rajouri sectors, but their attempts werefoiled by the combat patrol team of the Indian Air Force.