Wing Commander Abhinandan had said in a video that he was being looked after very well Premier says India’s policy of oppression in Kashmir has failed ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday that an Indian pilot, who was captured by Pakistan’s armed forces this week, will be released on Friday in a bid to de-escalate tensions with his country’s nuclear-armed eastern neighbor. “As a peace gesture, we will be releasing him tomorrow,” he announced while addressing a joint session of parliament. Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian fighter jets that had breached the Line of Control, or the de facto border separating the Indian- and Pakistani-administered portions of Kashmir, on Wednesday morning, before capturing a pilot — Wing Commander Abhinandan. India has already asked Pakistan to release its fighter pilot. After being shot down, the Indian pilot was captured by locals before being taken into custody by the army personnel. “The officers of Pakistan Army have looked after me very well,” Abhinandan can be heard saying in a video released by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) which is the military’s media wing. As part of a policy statement on the floor of the House, Prime Minister Khan added that he had tried to speak to his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, on telephone, reasoning that the recent escalation was neither in the interest of Pakistan nor that of India. “We aren’t afraid of anything, but want peace,” he continued.