India-Pak Tension LIVE: Pak Foreign Minister Says Will Not Attend OIC Meet Over Invite to Sushma Swaraj

Pak to Release IAF Pilot This Afternoon| Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman would be released this afternoon via Wagah boder. A team of Indian Air Force officials will receive the IAF pilot who was captured by Pakistani Forces on Wednesday. 

Pakistan FM Boycotts OIC | In a joint session of Parliament in Pakistan, Qureshi said that he had earlier expressed his reservation against Sushma Swaraj's invitation but the OIC had informed him that the invitation was extended before the Pulwama attack, hence retraction would be difficult. "I requested them to review the decision [to extend invitation to Sushma Swaraj]. UAE said that when we extended the invitation, Pulwama had not occurred. If it had, the case would have been different. Now we have extended invitation it would be hard to retract but they would still consult."

Pakistan Foreign Minister Decides to Not Attend OIC Session | Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that he will not attend the OIC session. "I have taken a decision that I will not be attending the OCI's council of minister's event. But we will be sending our envoys to look into our resolutions that have been tabled at the OIC. I have asked them to oppose any resolution that would favour India."

Flyers Stranded Worldwide | The closure of Pakistan's airspace in response to escalating tensions with India disrupted major routes between Europe and South East Asia and left thousands of air travellers stranded worldwide.

China is taking positive measures to deal with international flights after Pakistan shut down its airspace, opening part of Chinese airspace for foreign airlines to re-route. The bureau said that 22 flights fly in and out of Pakistan every week, including two from Air China and other flights from Pakistan International Airlines. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) immediately launched an emergency plan to notify domestic flight companies and cooperate with the air force to ensure the safety of flights and approve temporary flight plans.

China Cancels All Flights To and From Pakistan | China has cancelled all flights to and from Pakistan, including connecting flights and rerouted its international aircraft flying over the Pakistani airspace due to the regional tensions, official media said on Friday. Flights from the Middle East that usually overfly Pakistan and the Pakistan-India border will have to re-route over India, Myanmar or central Asia to enter China. Whether those flights will fly on Friday as scheduled is still unknown.

Scores of people assembled at the Attari Joint Check Post with Indian flags on Friday to receive IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman who is likely to be released by Pakistani authorities later in the day. People started arriving in Attari since 6 a.m. Their numbers swelled by 9 a.m.

Sushma Swaraj Likely to Raise Terrorism Issue at OIC Meet | External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is expected to raise the issue of terrorism at the OIC inaugural plenary session, amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror attack. For the first time India has been invited to a meeting of the OIC as the guest of honour. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is also attending the meeting. Earlier he had said that he would boycott the meeting if Swaraj participates.

People flock to Wagah border with the Tiranga as Indian and Pakistani national flags can be seen waving at a distance.

BSF personnel stand guard at Wagah border ahead of Wing Commander Abhinandan's release.

Indians Rejoice at the Border | Cheerful Indians ready to receive IAF pilot Abhinandan have thronged Wagah border. The BSF has beefed up the security arrangements at the border which is resonating with patriotic slogans ahead of Wing Commander Abhinandan's arrival. Abhinandan is set to be repatriated to India on Friday, but the time of his return hasn't been confirmed yet.

People have arrived at the Wagah border where IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman will be handed over by Pakistan to a team Indian Air Force officials. Indians are rejoicing at the border for the release of Abhinadan and have reached the spot with Drums, garlands and flags.

Militants Killed in J&K Encounter | Two militants were killed on Friday in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district. Bodies of both militants have been recovered from Kralgund village of Langate area and searches were underway to sanitise the place.

BSF Arrests Indian for Spying | Border Security Force arrested a 21-year-old Indian national for espionage at Ferozepur border in Punjab today. The BSF said that they have found a mobile phone with contact numbers of six terrorists and eight Pakistani SIM cards in possesion with him. He is believed to be a native of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Paradigm Shift in Perception | As the 39-second video went public, there was a significant paradigm shift in how the world perceived the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Soon after news of Abhinandan’s capture became public, the situation became charged up—emotionally, if not militarily. Twitter was buzzing with #BringBackAbhinandan and #AbhinandOurHero and 24 hours later, the number of people moved by it had only increased. In Pakistan, where he is being held captive, its citizens urged its Army to treat the pilot well.

Composed and Steady | On Wednesday, Pakistan released a video of captured Indian Air Force pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, where he is seen sipping tea. A composed Abhinandan steely said he’s being treated well and that he was ‘quite impressed’ by the Pakistani army officials. When asked where he is from, he calmly replies, “Am I supposed to tell you this?” and further added he’s from down south. When asked which aircraft he was flying, he replies, ‘I’m not supposed to tell you this but I’m sure you’ve found the wreckage.” When asked if he was married, he replied in affirmative. The Wing Commander also chose to not answer what mission he was on.

IAF Pilot's Repatriation | Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is expected to return to India today via the Wagah Border after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sudden announcement of his release as a “gesture of peace” in an address to the country’s parliament on Thursday. The IAF pilot was taken into custody by Pakistan on Wednesday after he landed on the other side of the Line of Control as his aircraft crashed during an aerial dogfight between India and Pakistan.

Visual from Kupwara district's Handwara area where an encounter took place between terrorists and security forces earlier this morning. A search operation is underway.

US Again Asks Pakistan to Deny Safe Havens to Terrorists | The US has reaffirmed its demand that Pakistan abide by its UN Security Council commitments to deny safe havens to terrorists and block their access to funds as it welcomed Islamabad's decision to release the captured Indian Air Force pilot.  "We reiterate our call for Pakistan to abide by its United Nations Security Council commitments to deny terrorists safe haven and block their access to funds," a State Department spokesperson said.

The IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthamanwas taken into custody by Pakistan on Wednesday after he landed on the other side of the Line of Control as his aircraft crashed during an aerial dogfight between India and Pakistan.

YouTube Takes Down IAF Pilot's Vulgar Videos | On Government of India's request, YouTube removed humiliating videos of Wing Commander Abhinandan that circulated since his capture by Pakistan. It has removed 11 such videos. 

Asked whether China will block the move to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar as a global terrorist, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang almost reiterated Beijing's oft-repeated stand at a media briefing here. "As we have said on many occasions, the 1267 committee of the UN Security Council has clear norms on the listing of terrorist organisations or individuals and relevant procedures," he said.

China Non-committal about UN's Move to Blacklist Masood Azhar | China on Thursday appeared non-committal about its stand on a fresh proposal moved by the US, the UK and France in the UN Security Council to designate Pakistan-based terror group JeM's chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. China, a close ally of Pakistan, has consistently blocked moves first by India and later by the US, the UK and France to designate Azhar as a global terrorist by the 1267 Committee by putting technical holds.
 

UN Welcome's IAF Pilot's Release | The United Nation has welcomed Pakistan's decision to release IAF pilot Abhinandan's return. Spokesperson for UN Chief Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric said, "The release of an Indian pilot by Pakistan would be a very much welcomed step", stressing that the message to Indian and Pakistan from the world body and the international community is to de-escalate tensions.

A visual of the Wagah -Attari crossing on the day of IAF pilot Abhinandan's return:

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj reached Abu Dhabi last night to attend the Organistaion of Islamic Countries inaugural plenary session. She will speak at the OIC at 11 a.m. local time ( around 12.30 p.m. IST). She has two scheduled bilateral meeting with Bangladesh and UAE.

Six press conferences and briefings have been held since Tuesday. Three were held by Pakistan (two addressed by their military spokesperson and one by PM Imran Khan), and three convened by India (two by MEA officials, and one addressed by senior defence officers).

US Coaxes Pakistan to Take 'Demonstrable Action' against Terror | US Congressman Eliot Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs urged Pakistan to take "demonstrable action" against terrorist groups including Jaish-e-Mohammad to avoid the kind of "miscalculation" that the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan has talked about.

"We were and continue to be very engaged with the issue between India and Pakistan. I spent a good deal of time on the phone last night talking to leaders in both countries, making sure there was good information exchanged, encouraging each country to not take any action that would escalate and create increased risk," Pompeo said.

US in Constant Touch with India, Pakistan | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said he had "good conversations" with Indian and Pakistani leaders and was hopeful that the rising tension will come down between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Over the last two days, Pompeo spoke to the leaders of the two countries including External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.