Pakistan says it will release an Indian pilot who was shot down and captured after his fighter jet crossed the de-facto border in the disputed Kashmir region on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan told Pakistan's parliament on Thursday that the pilot will be freed on Friday as a peace gesture between the neighbors.
The Indian military welcomed the announcement on Thursday evening but criticized the Pakistani side for the continued fighting in Kashmir.
Tension has escalated since a suicide bomb attack by a Pakistani Muslim extremist killed 40 Indian security personnel in Kashmir in mid-February. India responded with airstrikes on Pakistan. Pakistani forces on Wednesday shot down two Indian fighter jets in retaliation.
The Pakistani government apparently hopes to defuse the crisis by releasing the pilot.
NHK
