To improve the performance of our website, show the most relevant news products and targeted advertising, we collect technical impersonal information about you, including through the tools of our partners. You can find a detailed description of how we use your data in our Privacy Policy. For a detailed description of the technologies, please see the Cookie and Automatic Logging Policy. By clicking on the "Accept & Close" button, you provide your explicit consent to the processing of your data to achieve the above goal. You can withdraw your consent using the method specified in the Privacy Policy.<doc-sep>British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that he was “very concerned” about the rising tensions and that he had spoken with his Indian and Pakistani counterparts about it. “Neither side wants to see this escalate further, but this is going to take really critical restraint in the days ahead,” he said. Russia’s Foreign Ministry “expressed hope for the de-escalation of the situation.”<doc-sep>India Pakistan: Indian air-force pilot captured by military officials top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Pakistan confirmed it shot down two Indian warplanes claiming they entered Pakistani airspace in Kashmir. Pakistan’s Major General Asif Ghafoor claimed one aircraft fell on India’s side of the Kashmir, while the second came down in Pakistani-held territory, and its pilot was captured. Video has emerged of the alleged pilot that was captured with a man being questioned. In the footage, the alleged captured pilot says: “My name is Wing Cdr Abhinandan”, before claiming he was a pilot and his service number.” In a press conference, India’s foreign ministry confirmed a pilot was thought to have been captured in Pakistan territory. An official said: “A Pakistani aircraft was seen by ground forces falling from the sky on the Pakistan side.” The official claimed that a “pilot was missing in action” after an engagement. India-Pakistan: Video reveals alleged captured Indian pilot Pakistan has claimed that he in their custody, we are assembling the facts Indian foreign ministry official He added: “Pakistan has claimed that he in their custody, we are assembling the facts.” Pakistan said they shot down two Indian warplanes adding they crossed into Pakistan airspace. The Pakistani foreign ministry said: "Today, Pakistan Air Force undertook strikes across Line of Control from within Pakistani airspace." It came after Pakistani warplanes were allegedly intercepted by the Indian airforce and forced to turn back and re-enter Pakistani airspace. Ghafoor later told a press conference: “This was not a retaliation in true sense, but to tell Pakistan has capability, we can do it, but we want to be responsible, we don't want an escalation, we don't want a war.” Former Pakistani foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, has accused India of “calling out war” amid escalating tensions in Kashmir. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ms Khar claimed the action from Pakistan was “retaliatory”. She said: “This was in some way you could consider it to be a retaliatory action for the aggression that was imposed on Pakistan in the early hours of the morning yesterday. As we all know we are all bound by the UN charter, which protects our international boundaries, which protects our sovereign integrity. “India is claiming to come within Pakistani airspace and therefore inside our international border, disrespecting it, and taking action against what it allegedly called camps and we have evidence we have shown to both local and foreign journalists, and everyone else is welcome to come. It was just plain ground that India put its payload on before exiting Pakistani airspace. “That is what I would call a very very inflammatory action, and frankly speaking, is calling out war.” India Pakistan: Ex-Minister blasts India's actions as 'call to war'<doc-sep>ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A downed Indian fighter pilot who was attacked by a mob and then paraded on video by Pakistan’s army has become a social media sensation and a hero in his homeland amid a spiraling crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan captured by Pakistan is seen in this handout photo released February 27, 2019. Inter Service Public Relation (ISPR) Handout via REUTERS With Pakistani villagers and soldiers filming his capture and captivity on Wednesday in clips that have since gone viral on social media, the pilot identified by Islamabad as Indian Wing Commander Abhi Nandan has fast emerged as the human face of the dangerous flare-up between the arch-foes. India has not confirmed the pilot’s identity. Indian media have given his name as Abhinandan Varthaman. The pilot and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are at the heart of the crisis between two countries who have conducted air strikes on each other’s territory in the last two days. The United States and China have appealed for restraint. The airman’s treatment at the hands of Pakistani troops drew both condemnation and praise, while at his house in southern India supporters gathered to record messages of solidarity. In one video posted on social media, a Pakistani soldier ankle-deep in a stream of water in the disputed Kashmir region can be seen shielding the pilot from angry villagers and shouting “enough” as they pummel his bloodied face and strike blows against his limp body. In another video, posted on Twitter by Pakistan’s information ministry, the pilot is blindfolded and can be heard saying “I’ve got hurt and I would request some water”. He then reveals his name and rank before politely fending off questions from soldiers by saying: “I’m not supposed to tell you that.” Later, in a video released by Pakistan’s military, the captured airman is shown without a blindfold, appearing more relaxed, thanking the Pakistani army and sipping tea. “The officers of the Pakistani Army have looked after me well, they are thorough gentlemen,” he said. “VULGAR DISPLAY” India’s foreign ministry branded Pakistan’s videos as a “vulgar display” of an injured airman, saying they violated international humanitarian law and the Geneva convention. “Pakistan would be well advised to ensure that no harm comes to the Indian defense personnel in its custody. India also expects his immediate and safe return,” it said in a statement. Pakistan’s army spokesman Asif Ghafoor tweeted a photo of the airman and said he was “being treated as per norms of military ethics”. Pakistani tweeters said he had been shown exemplary hospitality. Slideshow ( 2 images ) After Pakistan’s government released a picture of the downed pilot, social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp were inundated with old videos and photos of him. By Wednesday evening, the two top trends on Twitter in India were about the pilot, with many Indians demanding his release under a #BringBackAbhinandan hashtag. In one video shared on social media, purportedly from 2011, he is seen dining with the hosts of a popular Indian television food show. Asked about attributes important for a pilot, he says: “Bad attitude”. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the video. Many posts concerned the pilot’s safety, and some expressed relief to see the later video of him clutching a cup of tea. “I Salute Our Brave IAF Pilot,” said Twitter user Aarti, who changed her Twitter profile picture to one of his old mug shots.<doc-sep>
This post has been updated. A day after India carried out air strikes on terrorist bases in Pakistan, fighter jets of the two countries got into a dogfight today (Feb. 27). Both sides claimed to have downed each other’s aircraft. Pakistan also said it had arrested an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot whose plane crash landed on its side of the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). “Today, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) undertook strikes across Line of Control from within Pakistani airspace. This was not a retaliation to continued Indian belligerence,” a statement from the Paksitani foreign ministry read. The PAF jets breached the border in Nowshera sector in J&K Rajouri district, the Press Trust of India said, citing officials. An Indian ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson, later in the day, confirmed the intrusion by PAF, adding that an Indian Mig 21 Bison aircraft had shot down a PAF plane that also crashed on the Pakitani side of the LoC. However, on the arrested pilot, the Indian official was rather vague. “…unfortunately, we have lost one Mig 21 and the pilot is missing in action. Pakistan has claimed that he is in their custody,” said Raveesh Kumar, the MEA spokesperson. Indian media reports initially cited defence sources denying the Pakistani claims, saying “all our pilots are accounted for.” Reports also said that an IAF plane crashed in J&K’s Budgam area following a technical fault, killing two pilots and a civilian. It remained unclear if this incident was related to today’s skirmish as MEA’s Kumar did not have anything to say on this and refused to take any questions. Yesterday, IAF conducted a “non-military pre-emptive strike” on a terrorist camp of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group in Balakot area of the neighbouring country’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The operation was carried out following intelligence inputs that the JeM planned to carry out several terrorist strikes across the country, Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said at a press meet yesterday (Feb. 26). It also came just days after a JeM cadre detonated an improvised explosive device in Pulwama, Kashmir, resulting in the death of over 40 Indian paramilitary personnel. Now the PAF’s intrusion into Indian air space significantly escalates the spiraling situation between the two nuclear-armed military powers of the Indian subcontinent. Meanwhile, the troops of both countries have been exchanging heavy artillery fire in the state’s Sialkot sector. In J&K’s Shopian district, two JeM terrorists were reportedly gunned down today morning by Indian security forces in a shootout.