Pakistan hands over captured pilot to India

ISLAMABAD, March 1 .  Pakistan handed over a captured Indian pilot to Indian authorities Friday afternoon as a goodwill gesture to de-escalate tensions between the two neighbors, local media reported.

However, there is no official confirmation about the development. According to the reports, the Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was handed over to Indian officials at the Wagah border crossing near Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore.

Pakistani and Indian officials completed the handover process in the presence of some independent international observers, the reports said.

Some reports said the pilot is with the Indian officials on the Pakistani side and they will enter to Indian territory after the sunset.

The Indian pilot was arrested by Pakistani forces in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir after his fighter jet was shot down by Pakistan in Pakistani airspace Wednesday morning.