BRITISH boxer Amir Khan has been accused of "inciting hatred" for supporting the Pakistan army in their escalating conflict with India.

The former unified light-welterweight world champion posted a photo of himself with members of the Pakistani armed forces and the caption: "We stand with #PakArmy."

The message was posted to his 2.22 million Twitter followers and at the time of writing had almost 3,000 likes.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan today said a captured Indian pilot will be released as a "peace gesture" between the two countries.

The pilot's jet was shot down by Pakistani forces on Wednesday as tensions escalated over the disputed region of Kashmir.

But Bolton-born Muslim Khan, who has Pakistani heritage owing to his Punjabi family, this morning tweeted his military-charged support for Pakistan.

And he was met with a wave of criticism in amongst comments supporting his stance.

One comment in response to Khan's tweet read: "Really? Inciting Pakistan vs India wars and hatred... you were born in Bolton and won gold for Britain, which is a multi-cultural society that you would be up in arms with should we show such hostility."

Another wrote: "You should stand up for peace and resolution, soldiers die, families suffer.

"Surely as a public figure this is a time to show restraint and diplomacy and not adding fuel to the fire."

A fellow user posted: "Do you think it's advisable to get involved with political issues?"

One follower raged: "Any wonder why you get so much grief from boxing fans and the public in general.

"You are supposed [to be] a damn role model. Made me wonder why I've supported and defended your career as a fan. Read a book, develop some sense."

Another said: "Irresponsible."

And one user by the name of Ahmed Farooq Butt tweeted: "You should stand for peace and promote #SayNoToWar too being a sports celebrity."