Lahore: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was present here Friday to oversee the ‘smooth’ handing over of the captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to India at the Wagah border, official sources said.
Khan arrived here Friday afternoon, a couple of hours before the IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was brought to the Wagah border from Islamabad, amid high security.
“PM Khan’s main purpose of being in the town was to oversee the ‘smooth’ handing over of the captured Indian pilot to the Border Security Force,” an official source told this agency. He informed that during his stay Khan conducted a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, who praised the premier for ordering the release of the Indian pilot. Buzdar said: “This move will help de-escalte tensions between India and Pakistan.”
The source stated that till the time, Varthaman walked on to Indian territory, Khan stayed in Lahore. “Later, he left for Islamabad,” the source added.
Pakistan Foreign Office, in a statement issued after handing over of the Indian pilot to India said: “Prime Minister Imran Khan who announced his (Varthaman’s) return as a ‘goodwill gesture’ aimed at de-escalating rising tensions with India.”
PTI