Indian authorities released a Pakistani Ranger who had crossed the international border on May 3 an hour after the Border Security Force (BSF) took back its constable from Pakistan at Attari-Wagah border.
BSF had apprehended the Pakistani Ranger at the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan on May 3. Official sources stated that the individual, identified as Muhammad Allah, was taken into custody by the Rajasthan frontier of the BSF after entering Indian territory under unclear circumstances.
This development comes amid tensions between the two neighboring countries following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people—mostly tourists—weeks earlier. The attack has worsened an already strained diplomatic atmosphere between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan handed over BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw to India, 21 days after he was apprehended by the Rangers from along the International Border between the two countries in Punjab.
The constable was handed over to the BSF by Pakistan Rangers at 10:30 am at joint check post (JCP) Attari in Amritsar district (opposite Pakistan's Wagah), a BSF spokesperson said.
A picture of the jawan released by the force showed a bearded Shaw with ruffled hair, and wearing a dark green round-neck T-shirt.
"Today at 1030 hours Constable Purnam Kumar Shaw has been taken back from Pakistan by BSF at Attari-Wagah border," the spokesperson said.
Shaw had "inadvertently" crossed over to Pakistan territory while on operational duty in the area of Ferozepur sector on April 23 around 11.50 pm.
Officials told PTI that the jawan will undergo a full body check-up and medical test followed by a counselling and 'debriefing' session where he will be asked "relevant questions" by the BSF officials about his 21-day detention by the Rangers.
The jawan, belonging to the 24th BSF battalion, will not be drafted in active duty and will also be part of an official inquiry instituted by the Punjab frontier of the BSF to look into the sequence of his apprehension by the Rangers and find lapses, if any, they said.
The spokesperson said the handover of the jawan at the border "was conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols." "With the consistent efforts of BSF through regular flag meetings with Pakistan Rangers and through other communication channels, the repatriation of BSF Constable has become possible," he said.
Shaw's apprehension by the Pakistan Rangers happened a day after the Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 people were killed.
The jawan was part of the 'Kisan Guard' that was deployed for protection of Indian farmers, who till their land ahead of the fence, and the trooper apparently "mis-calculated" the alignment of the border and stepped to rest under a nearby tree from where he was apprehended by the Rangers, officials had said.
Shaw hails from Rishra in Hooghly district of West Bengal and his wife has been speaking to BSF officers and the press seeking the whereabouts of her husband and his early release in wake of the military offensive between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor.
The release of Muhammad Allah is being viewed as a goodwill gesture by India, though no official statement has been made by the ministry of external affairs. The BSF has not issued a formal comment on the exchange.
