Pakistan promises to return Indian pilot

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said he will return a captured Indian pilot as a “peace gesture” in an attempt to dispel ongoing tensions with his country’s neighbor. During a parliamentary address, Khan said he will release the pilot, identified as Abhinandan Varthaman, on Friday. Pakistan closed its airspace to all commercial flights on Wednesday after shooting down two Indian jets. India also reported shooting down a Pakistani warplane and carrying out a pre-dawn airstrike on a terrorist training camp in Pakistani territory the day before.

India reported troops on both sides continued to trade fire along their shared border in Kashmir on Thursday. “Pakistan wants peace, but it should not be treated as our weakness,” Khan said. “The region will prosper if there is peace and stability.” China, the European Union, and other world powers joined the United States in calling for restraint between the two nations.

The recent unrest began Feb. 14 when a car bomb killed 40 Indian paramilitary police officers in the disputed border region of Kashmir. The Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.