Khwaja Asif hails PM’s decision to release Indian pilot

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Khwaja Muhammad Asif on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to release the captured Indian pilot, Abhinandan, as a gesture of peace.

Khwaja Asif said that if there was de-escalation with the return of the Indian pilot, it would be our great achievement. He hoped that the premier’s goodwill gesture would help reduce the prevailing tension between the two nuclear powers.

While talking about United States (US) President Donald Trump’s statement, the PML-N leader said that it seemed that Washington wanted to defuse the tension in the region.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing a joint parliamentary session in the wake of soaring tensions between India and Pakistan, announced to release the captured Indian pilot.

After presenting a tribute to the opposition and the entire nation for standing united during the recent time, PM Khan asserted “to not misconstrue Pakistan’s desire for de-escalation as weakness.”

He again urged India not to go beyond this point of aggression as all issues should be resolved through dialogue. “Countries are ruined because of miscalculation. War is not a solution. If India takes any action, we will have to retaliate,” PM Khan vehemently said.

“The only purpose of our strike was to demonstrate our capability and will. We did not want to inflict any casualty on India as we wanted to act in a responsible manner.”