Asia Friday, March 1, 2019 05 on ‘heightened’ alert despite Pakistan Pakistan to free Indian pilot as promise to free pilot AFP New Delhi peace gesture: PM Indian forces remain on a “heightened” state of alert de- Thousands of passengers are stranded The pilot, spite Pakistan’s promise to free Abhinandan Varthaman, a pilot shot down in air raids worldwide as Pakistan closes airspace has become the face of the this week, top Indian military crisis since he was shot chiefs said on Thursday. AFP parliament. Parliamentarians down in a rare aerial Top generals from the In- Islamabad stamped their feet in approval dian air force, army and navy Abhinandan Varthaman. at his statement, the first sign of engagement between the also renewed claims that India Pakistan said Thursday it will a potential thaw after a danger- South Asian neighbours had shot down a Pakistani F-16 Pakistani F-16 fighter jet that release a captured Indian pilot ous sequence of events between jet in the air battles after an at- crossed into Indian airspace as a “peace gesture”, taking a the two countries sent tensions Control, the de facto border tack Wednesday on military and was shot down. Pakistan step towards rapprochement soaring. Tit-for-tat raids across that divides . installations in Indian-admin- has denied New Delhi’s asser- as clashes between the nuclear- their hair-trigger border have Authorities have tightened istered Kashmir. tions that one of its fighters was armed rivals ignited fears of a alarmed world powers includ- security across the country, “We are fully prepared and downed during a that disastrous conflict. ing China and the US, who have with hospitals on alert and leave in a heightened state of readi- also saw an Indian plane lost. The pilot, Wing Command- urged restraint. Pakistan has for police and other security of- ness to respond to any provo- The pilot of that jet, Wing er Abhinandan Varthaman, has said it downed two Indian fight- ficials cancelled in some cities. cation from Pakistan,” said the Commander Abhinandan Var- become the face of the crisis ers, while India confirmed it With the pilot attaining hero army’s Major General Suren- thaman, managed to eject but since he was shot down in a rare had lost one plane and claimed status among Indians enraged dra Singh Mahal at a press was apprehended by Pakistani aerial engagement between the it had shot down a Pakistani jet. over his capture, Modi called on conference. He said ground- troops on the other side of the South Asian neighbours over “I am afraid of miscalcula- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran khan. his citizens earlier Thursday to based air defence weapons border and taken into custody. the disputed region of Kashmir tions,” Khan said. “We should “stand as a wall” in the face of an had been “put on high alert” India’s Air Vice Marshall on Wednesday. not even think of war, especially will be forced to strongly retali- entering a cycle of retaliation enemy that “seeks to destabilise along the de facto border with RGK Kapoor said Pakistan’s With anger boiling over his in view of the lethality of the ate against any Indian action in and counterattacks that could India”. Pakistan in Kashmir, across decision to free the pilot, capture in India, analysts have weapons that we have.” the future,” he said. spiral out of control. Analysts have said the pilot’s which both sides had fired though welcome, simply fol- touted him as a potential trump However, he warned that Wednesday’s dogfight and Pakistan has closed its fate, and his safe release, could shells in recent days as the cri- lowed international norms card for Islamabad. his Indian counterpart Naren- the pilot’s capture sparked airspace indefinitely, strand- prove central to the neighbours sis escalated. around prisoners of war. “We “As a peace gesture we are dra Modi should not miscon- fears of India and Pakistan -- ing thousands of passengers pulling back from the brink. The top military officials are extremely happy to have releasing the Indian pilot to- strue his desire to de-escalate as who have fought two wars and worldwide; and the army said US analyst Michael Kugel- also unveiled fragments from him back. We want to see him morrow,” Prime Minister Im- “weakness”. countless deadly skirmishes Thursday its troops were on man said it was a “big decision a missile they said matched the back,” he told reporters. ran Khan told a joint session of “India must know that we over the Himalayan region -- high alert along the Line of to part with a bargaining chip”.

Rescuers search Pakistan mountain peak for missing Italian, Brit AFP Mountain”. “The camp 3 tent lating tensions with India. Mummery spur, which is the circumstances,” he said. Bon- Rome has been spotted from a helicop- The searchers have called in most direct route up”. ington said Ballard was “very ter, buried under snow. Traces Pakistani Muhammad Ali Sad- “And they were trying to much an extreme climber, Rescuers were searching of avalanches can be seen,” para, who climbed the peak two do it in winter, which is by far taking after his mum”, Alison Thursday for a missing Italian Nardi’s team reported on the years ago, Nardi’s team said. the toughest time. They’d cer- Hargreaves, who was a famous climber and his British climbing climber’s Facebook page. The British Foreign Office tainly been having bad weather mountaineer who died on K2. partner in Pakistan after efforts “We are waiting for more said it was “assisting the family throughout, a lot of snowfall and “It is a very very danger- were delayed by the country’s photographic information and of a British man who has been it was also bitterly cold. ous game. I am very lucky to closure of its airspace over ten- video from the base camp and reported missing in Pakistan”. He said the temperature was be alive. I’ve been climbing for sions with India. from Pakistani aviation,” it said. Chris Bonington, moun- believed to be minus 40, which what, 60 years, very nearly and Daniele Nardi and Tom Bal- The rescue teams had been taineer and a family friend of may have drained the batteries I’ve had at least 10 times when lard were last heard from on forced to wait for permission Ballard, told BBC Radio 4 ear- on their phones. I was just unbelievably lucky to Sunday as they climbed Nanga to send up a helicopter after lier Thursday that the pair were “There’s still hope that they get away with it. I think extreme Daniele Nardi (left) and Tom Ballard (right), the climbing partners who Parbat in the western Hima- Pakistan closed its airspace on “attempting a very, very difficult are alive, and that they are ok, climbers at altitude actually are haven’t been heard since Sunday. layas, a peak known as “Killer Wednesday in response to esca- route up Nanga Parbat, up the admittedly in very dangerous lucky to survive,” he said.