Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been quoted telling a joint session of the Parliament that Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Vardhaman will be released tomorrow “as a peace gesture”. He has also cautioned that the situation should not “get out of hand” otherwise “Pakistan will have to retaliate”. Khan also spoke about Kashmir, reiterating that talks over the region are important. “I have a feeling that the Indian public does not agree with the current government's warmongering. If their media had seen what our media has seen over the past 17 years, they would not have created this war hysteria.”
The announcement came hours after US President Donald Trump said in Vietnam that there would “reasonably good news” coming from India and Pakistan. “They have been going at it and we have been going at it and we have been involved in trying to have them stop. We have been in the middle trying to help them got out,” Trump said.
Following the capture of the pilot yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired a high-level security meeting with intelligence chiefs and Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is understood to have updated Modi on the latest developments. Modi had earlier, cut short his interaction with audience in Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan, in light of air strikes between India and Pakistan. It is reported that Modi has given a free hand to all security forces to decide any action on the ground.
India will fight, live, work and win as one: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that nothing should be done to dent the morale of security forces, a day after Pakistani fighter jets violated the Indian airspace in response to India's early morning strikes on Tuesday by IAF planes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot, Pakistan. While interacting with BJP workers in 15,000 locations through video conferencing, he said the enemy is trying to create hurdles in India's march towards development, we should fight, live, work and win as one. “The enemy is trying to destabilise us, carry out terror strikes... they want to stop our growth... we will fight, live work and win as one.”
The 2014 general election was a mandate for fulfilling people’s necessities and 2019 polls would be about fulfilling people’s aspirations. Indians should work hard in all spheres and grateful to all those protecting the country, he noted. Some people, for their selfish interests, disliked a strong government. BJP workers need to tell people the benefits of a strong government, he said.
