!!% =& ( #1 &) !1 &) VRGR '%&((!1#VCEB R BP A"'!#$#1!$"#0$"T utqBVQWBuxy( "#$% &++&, &'()#* &'-#. ,? 3 ," 8> <3 38 " ! " # ""#$!#% %#%#% "<33<3 38? <8 9 67 3 , #&#%%# " !/6 4@ A ! ( ))& #& &'()&*'+,'&(")-."/0'1"$2 R Khan said. The announcement strate our capability and will. was greeted by thumping of “We did not want to inflict any ! day after India demanded desks by Pakistani lawmakers. casualty on India as we want- Aimmediate release of an The Indian Air Force on ed to act in a responsible man- ! " # $ && # & #$ IAF pilot who landed in Thursday said it is very happy ner.” ' ! ( ) L( )M ) Pakistan detention on that captured pilot Wing He warned if India moved ! Wednesday following an aeri- Commander Abhinandan is ahead with the “aggression”, ) , al engagement by air forces of returning home but dismissed Pakistan will be forced to retal- )& $ # #!! ) the two countries, Pakistan suggestions it was a goodwill iate and urged the Indian lead- & && & &# ( & Prime Minster Imran Khan on gesture, insisting it was in line ership not to push for escala- ' )) ) )& ! ebunking Pakistan claims Thursday announced that with the Geneva Conventions. tion as war is not solution to " # ! # Dthat F-16s were not used in Wing Commander “We are very happy any problem. !! !&& !. ! & the offensive against Indian Abhinandan Varthaman will be Abhinandan will be freed Warning that “any miscal- , " military targets in Jammu & released on Friday as a gesture tomorrow and look forward to culation” from India would Kashmir on Wednesday morn- !" ! of peace and the “first step” to his return,” Air Vice Marshal R result in “disaster”, he said, ! . & & ing, the Indian Air Force on #$ % %&' ) open negotiations with India. GK Kapoor, assistant chief of “Countries are ruined because !! '# /0 & 1 . . Thursday said the American $ The decision comes amid Air Staff, told a news confer- of miscalculation. . #& (#& ! aircraft was used in the misad- report that the Indian ence. War is not a solution. If ) venture and also displayed the credible information and evi- Mohammed’s biggest training Government reportedly decid- Asked if the IAF sees it as India takes any action, we will wreckage of the ‘beyond visu- dence that “We hit the intend- camp near Balakot deep inside ed that Varthaman cannot be a a goodwill move, Kapoor said, have to retaliate.” Foreign Secretary Vijay escalation” of tensions with al range missiles’ of the US-sup- ed targets” and it was premature Pakistan early Tuesday. It came bargaining chip and New Delhi “We see it as a gesture in con- Khan, however, said Gokhale briefed envoys of sev- India has not gone down well plied fighter plane. to assess the casualties and 12 days after the JeM claimed will not strike any deal with sonance with the Geneva Pakistan’s “desire for de-esca- eral countries, including from in New Delhi, they indicated. Air Vice Chief RGK damage. Sources in the responsibility for a suicide Islamabad for his release. Conventions.” lation” should not be miscon- China, France, Russia, the In Islamabad, Foreign Kapoor, who addressed the Government said more than 20 attack on a CRPF convoy in Khan made the announce- The joint session of strued as its weakness. United Kingdom and the Minister Shah Mehmood media, along with the repre- Pakistani aircraft had Pulwama in Jammu & Kashmir, ment during a joint session of Pakistan Parliament was held “Our armed forces are bat- United States, on the Pakistan Qureshi said his Government sentatives of the Army and the approached the Indian air- killing 40 paramilitary men. Parliament soon after Foreign on Thursday to discuss rising tle-hardened and they are fully Air Force targeting Indian mil- was willing to consider return- Navy, said a variety of aircraft space. The IAF also nailed the The IAF showed parts of Minister Shah Mehmood tension with India. The prepared to respond to any itary installations in an aggres- ing the captured IAF pilot if it was used by Pakistan Air Force misinformation by the Pakistan Amraam missiles as proof that Qureshi said Khan is ready to Pakistani Air Force on aggression,” he said. sive manner, resulting in the leads to “de-escalation” of ten- — F-16s, JF 17 Thunder and military that it shot down two Pakistan used F-16 aircraft to talk to his Indian counterpart Wednesday carried out a retal- Khan said he “tried to call” escalation of tensions. sions with India. Mirages. This rejects Pakistan’s Indian aircraft and captured attack Indian military estab- Narendra Modi to de-escalate iatory strike, a day after Indian the Indian Prime Minister on On US President Donald According to the sources, claims that its air force did not three Indian pilots which was lishments on Wednesday. Indo-Pak tensions. struck inside Pakistan, destroy- the phone Wednesday because Trump’s suggesting that the Khan has to walk the talk on target the Indian military instal- later claimed to be two and by Pakistan lied that no F-16 “In our desire for peace, I ing the biggest terrorist train- “escalation is not in our inter- situation between India and investigating the February 14 lations during Wednesday’s air the evening on Wednesday was used but there was enough announce that tomorrow ing camp of the Jaish-e- ests nor in India’s”. The Prime Pakistan was de-escalating, the Pulwama attack. India, they intrusion. they said just one pilot was in evidence, Kapoor said. (Friday), and as a first step to Mohammed (JeM). Minister urged the interna- sources said New Delhi has no stressed, wants immediate, Asserting that the IAF their custody. Stating that Pakistan air- open negotiations, Pakistan Addressing the House, tional community to play its idea what he was referring to. credible and verifiable action strikes hit the intended target The Army and Navy rep- craft targeted military installa- will be releasing the Indian Air Khan said, “The only purpose role in de-escalation for peace Pakistan’s efforts to link the against terrorists and their and achieved the mission, resentatives asserted that the tions, he added PAF bombs Force officer in our custody,” of our strike was to demon- and stability in the region. release of the pilot with “de- proxies. Kapoor said it’s up to the polit- Armed forces are on high alert were unable to damage any of ical leadership to decide when and ready to meet any securi- India’s defence installations. and how to release evidence of ty challenge on land and sea. Addressing the media, the Balakot strike’s success. But the sources added there has Indian Army’s Major General % P He was responding to a been no mobilisation of ground SS Mahal said escalation of ten- question on the scepticism in forces yet. Tensions between the sions had been done by some quarters about whether two countries escalated after Pakistan but India was prepared my nephews who was also IAF fighters had hit the intend- Indian fighters bombed banned for any contingency if the armed shot him in the leg,” ed targets. Kapoor said there is terror group Jaish-e- enemy provoked it. ing Commander Chaudhry said. New Delhi: India on Thursday WAbhinandan Varthaman The pilot was then asked to decided to suspend operations raised patriotic slogans, fired in drop his pistol, and was pinned of the Indo-Pak Samjhauta the air and stuffed his mouth down by a villager to prevent Express from March 4, on its with documents when he land- him from using any other side due to drastic decline in ed on Pakistani soil after eject- weapon that he might have occupancy especially after the ing from his fighter jet, says the had. The pilot attempted to Pulwama terror attack and the headman of a village on the destroy the documents in his suspension of the decade-old other side of the border. possession by stuffing them in train services from across the The Indian Air Force pilot, his mouth. However, the vil- border. who has been the centre of lagers managed to get hold of Sources said that the global attention since his cap- in India, Chaudhry said, dis- raise patriotic slogans about some papers which were later Railway Board has decided to ture on Wednesday, will be closing that the pilot was pelt- India. However, he was in for handed over to the army, the cancel all operations from the released on Friday, Pakistan ed with stones and also shot in a shock. “The boys around him BBC reported. train’s next scheduled run. Prime Minister Imran Khan the leg while fleeing. responded by saying, ‘Long Varthaman was also The Samjhauta Express has announced in Parliament. “My objective was to cap- live Pakistan’!” Chaudhury told thrashed by the “angry” mob runs from New Delhi on Recounting the dramatic ture the pilot alive. I had seen the BBC, adding that until the Pakistani Army came Wednesdays and Sundays. events leading to his capture, the Indian flag on his parachute Varthaman then pulled out to his rescue. “Our boys were From Pakistan side, the train Mohammad Razzaq Chaudhry, and knew he was Indian,” his gun and fired in the air to angry and continued to force departs from Lahore on the chief of Horran village in Chaudhry was quoted as saying. intimidate them. their way closer to him to Mondays and Thursdays. Pakistan, told the BBC that he According to the 58-year- The move led to more hos- punch and slap him, though On Wednesday, only 27 ran to the spot along with other old eyewitness, Varthaman tility and the villagers began some of them tried to stop the passengers boarded the train. villagers when he saw the MiG asked some of the villagers if he pelting stones at Varthaman aggressors.