Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan has appealed for talks with India, making reference to both countries’ nuclear arsenals, after a series of tit‑for‑tat airstrikes that have edged the pair closer to war than at any point in the last 20 years.
An Indian air force pilot was in enemy custody yesterday after Pakistani fighter jets launched airstrikes across the heavily militarised ceasefire border in the disputed region of Kashmir. Indian MiG‑21 Bison fighters gave chase and at least one was shot down over Pakistani‑held territory.
Its pilot, a wing commander identified as Abhi Nandan, appeared in a bloodied uniform as he gave his name and rank in a video released by the Pakistani armed forces.
Earlier footage of the captured pilot, including one video showing him being beaten by a crowd of angry civilians, made the rounds of WhatsApp and social media in India, fuelling popular concern and anger. The pilot said in a video released later by the Pakistani military that its soldiers had “rescued him from the mob”, and he was shown sipping tea.
Khan said in a televised address after the airstrikes that the time had come for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
[Source: The Guradian]
