With an Indian pilot in Pakistan's custody following an aerial encounter with the Indian Air Force over the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir today, there were calls to treat him humanely and in accordance to the Geneva Conventions.
According to experts, Pakistan had violated the conventions by releasing a purported video showing him tied up and bloodied on social media. NDTV will not use the video in its broadcasts.
The video, however, was soon removed from their official Twitter accounts by the Pakistan government.
On Twitter too, "Geneva Convention" and "#SayNoToWar" were top trends with messages calling for the tensions between India and Pakistan to be toned down.
In the mean time Pakistan please treat him as you would have us treat one of your men in uniform should he be unfortunate enough to be captured on this side of the border.
- Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 27, 2019
Our prayers are with the brave IAF pilot & his family in this very difficult time
- Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) February 27, 2019
Under Article 3 of Geneva Conventions every party is required to treat prisoners humanely. Pakistan must respect its obligations towards the IAF pilot, regardless of ongoing circumstances
I as a citizen of Pakistan request my govt to treat the "captive" Indian pilot well and send him back ASAP as a gesture of peace. Come on Pakistan you can do this #SayNoToWar
- Tooba Syed (@Tooba_Sd) February 27, 2019
The Indian government said an Indian pilot was in Pakistan's custody after a fighter jet was shot down in an encounter with Pakistani Air Force planes trying to target military installations in India this morning. It said it expected the pilot's immediate and safe return.
This came after Pakistan claimed "strikes across Line of Control from within Pakistani airspace", in the worst escalation of hostilities between the countries in decades following India's air strike to target a terror camp in Balakot on Tuesday.
The Geneva Conventions were signed by world leaders in 1949 following the horrors of the second world war. Ratified by 196 countries, it is the most widely-supported international treaty of its kind.
The Geneva Conventions extensively defined the basic rights of wartime prisoner, including civilians and military personnel, established protections for the wounded and sick, and established measures to safeguard civilians in and around a war-zone.
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