Move that needs to be reciprocated
After a little war hiatus Islamabad on Thursday announced to release the captured Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from its custody.
Though the war mongering news channels in Delhi claimed that the IAF fighter pilot was released due to the stand adopted by India, but given how such acts progress and lead to the release of prisoners it certainly points out that Pakistanís premier Imran Khan acted large hearted and announced the release so early and without any deals or conditions set.
The surprise announcement during a joint session of Parliament came barely an hour after Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday that Prime Minister Khan is ready to talk to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions.
As the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif took the floor of the House, Prime Minister Khan apologised for interrupting him and said he wishes to announce that the Indian pilot captured by Pakistan Air Force on Wednesday will be released Friday as a peace gesture.
The joint session of Parliament was held on Thursday to discuss rising tension with India. The Pakistani Air Force on Wednesday carried out a retaliatory strike, a day after Indian struck inside Pakistan, claiming destroying a JeM militant camp, a claim refuted by Pakistan.
The announcement by Pakistan will straightaway mean that the aggression and escalation that was propagated by some war mongering generals and journalists on both sides of the divide will die down and a new beginning can be made using the release of the pilot as a stepping stone.
India and Pakistan need better relations and they need to be good neighbours. This though needs to be propagated in the two countries as both cannot afford confrontation as has been proved during the past three decades of hostility and disagreements.
The move announced by Imran Khan will not only ensure a sudden drop in hostility among the two arch rivals but it will also help various international players to stress on improving relations among the two neighbors and create a new beginning in south Asia.
That being the reason that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed Pakistan’s offer to release the IAF pilot. He not only turned it as a welcome step by Pakistani authorities but also stressed that UN would encourage both parties to do whatever they can to de-escalate the situation.
The release of IAF pilot should be taken as an opportunity by India to inch closer to its neighbor and start a new chapter in Indo-Pak relations. India for all practical purposes cannot afford a war with its neighbor.
Both being nuclear powers South Asia needs both the countries to flourish and provide a better living conditions for its residents, which includes people from India and Pakistan as well.
Secondly, when one of the major conflicts like Afghan crisis is being resolved through talks, India and Pakistan too cannot afford to shy away from the issues that tell upon their relations time and again.
It is high time that India reciprocates the good will gesture by offering a hand of friendship and carves out a new beginning in the sub continent.
KV Network
