The military chief welcomed news of the Indian Air Force pilot's imminent return.
The Indian Air Force today said that it only sees Pakistan's decision to release captured Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as an action being taken in keeping with the Geneva Convention.
"As far as the IAF is concerned, we are happy that our pilot - who is in Pakistan's custody - is returning... but we only see it as a gesture in compliance with the Geneva Convention," Air-Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor said at a joint briefing of the Army, Air Force and the Navy today.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had earlier said that his country was taking the step as a "peace gesture" aimed at de-escalating tensions with India. The news was cheered by many.
Wing Commander Varthaman was taken into custody by the Pakistan administration on Wednesday, after his jet plummeted on the other side of the border while in hot pursuit of rival F-16 fighters that were targeting Indian military facilities in retaliation to an IAF strike on a Pakistani terror camp.
Air Vice-Marshal Kapoor was addressing the media along with representatives of the Army and the Navy, all of whom maintained that the armed forces were ready to meet any security challenge on land, air or sea.
Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Pakistan's Balakot early Tuesday. India took the action 12 days after the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.
The IAF officer said they had evidence of the Balakot strike's success, but it was up to the political leadership to decide how and when to release it. He rejected Pakistan's claim that the Indian jets had released its bombs in an open area before turning back.
"Although we hit the intended targets, it would be premature to assess the casualties or damage caused," he added.
Mr Khan had announced his government's decision to release Wing Commander Varthaman at a joint session of the Pakistan Parliament. "In our desire of peace, I announce that as a first step to open negotiations, Pakistan will release the Indian Air Force officer in our custody tomorrow," he said, but cautioned that the move should not viewed as a "sign of weakness".
According to news agency PTI, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi even offered to evaluate a dossier handed over by India on the JeM's involvement in the Pulwama terror attack with an “open heart”.
(With inputs from PTI)