ISLAMABAD: Two days after Pakistan handed over to India a pilot of the Indian Air Force who was captured after his fighter jet was shot down by the Pakistan Air Force in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the messages praising the gesture continued to pour in on Sunday.

Personnel of Pakistan Army had taken Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman into custody after saving him from a mob following the downing of his aircraft by PAF pilots on this side of the Line of Control on Wednesday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was among those who lauded Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to send the Indian pilot home after setting him free.

She expressed her views during a telephonic conversation with Mr Khan on Sunday, according to the Prime Minister Office (PMO).

Prime minister talks to British PM, Qatar’s emir

For his part, Prime Minister Khan apprised his British counterpart of Pakistan’s perspective on the developments taking place since the Pulwama suicide attack that claimed the lives of over 40 Indian security personnel last month.

According to the PMO, Ms May also underlined the need for both Pakistan and India to take steps aimed at de-escalating the tensions.

She added that the UK was in touch with both sides in this regard.

Mr Khan invited her to Pakistan. The British leader reciprocated the gesture.

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also appreciated Pakistan’s gesture of releasing the Indian pilot and underscored the importance of immediate de-escalation of tensions, the agencies added.

Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal in a tweet on Sunday said that Prime Minister Khan spoke to the emir of Qatar by telephone.

A senior leader of India’s Congress party, Digvijay Singh, congratulated Mr Khan for releasing the Indian pilot as a peace gesture.

Speaking to reporters in the Indian city of Indore, Mr Singh said the prime minister had “shown a new way of being a good neighbour” and returned the captured pilot.

He assailed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “concealing facts”.

Meanwhile, the US print and electronic media gave wide coverage to the handover of the Indian pilot, praising Pakistan’s peace gesture and efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two neighbours.

CNN said that “Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on the escalating crisis along the border in disputed Kashmir were in stark contrast to Pakistani leader Imran Khan, who called for dialogue between the two sides”.

The Wall Street Journal noted that India had rebuffed the offer of talks by PM Khan.

The New York Times said the release of Wing Commander Varthaman “capped a humiliating episode for India”.

A retired Indian army colonel, Ajai Shukla, in his comments in the Financial Times praised Mr Khan for showing statesmanship in the ongoing crisis. American papers also deplored the war hysteria created by Indian media.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2019