evidence: Subsequent Development [edit]On 28 February 2019, Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan, announced at a joint sitting of the Parliament of Pakistan, that the government had decided to release Varthaman the next day as a "gesture of peace". If some news sources are to be believed, "India and Pakistan came perilously close to firing missiles at each other on February 27, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi deciding to up the ante after the capture of MiG-21 Bison pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman by Pakistan, and Research and Analysis Wing secretary Anil Dhasmana communicating to his Pakistan counterpart Inter Services Intelligence chief Lieutenant General Asim Munir that there would be an escalation in the Indian offensive if the pilot was harmed."[37][38] Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, said his government announced the release of the IAF Wing Commander out of a desire for peace and that there was no compulsion or pressure on Pakistan, as was implied by the Indian media.[39] However, The New York Times reported that several outside countries including United States and China had been urging Pakistan to release the Indian pilot to de-escalate the crisis.[16] [...] - ^ "PM Modi welcomes IAF pilot Abhinandan, says 'nation proud of your exemplary courage'". The Times of India. 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.