Islamabad: Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has been handed over to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, will cross Attari-Wagah joint check-postat around 3-4 pm today, sources have told HT. The IAF pilot has been released by Pakistan as a “gesture of peace” two days after he was captured across the Line of Control after shooting down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 jet.
Hundreds of people reached the Wagah border in Amritsar with drums, garlands and flags to receive him.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced on Thursday that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be freed on Friday after New Delhi sought his unconditional, immediate and unharmed release signalling a de-escalation in the spiralling tension with New Delhi.