Amritsar: Pakistan Rangers have still not released a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan who they detained after he mistakenly crossed over the International Border (IB) between India and Pakistan on Wednesday afternoon. A flag meeting was held between the two border guarding forces on Thursday, but the matter could not be resolved, a senior BSF official said.
According to reports, P K Singh, a jawan of the 182 Bn BSF was accompanying Indian farmers to their fields close to the IB in Ferozepur, Punjab, on Wednesday afternoon. As the farmers went to work in their fields, Singh decided to rest in the shade of a tree. He did not notice that the tree he chose was beyond the border pillar.
“He was spotted by the Pakistan Rangers and taken into custody. He tried to reason with the Pakistani border guards, but they refused to listen. He was then taken away to their camp. He was in uniform and carrying his service rifle. On Thursday, a flag meeting was arranged where senior BSF officers told their counterparts in the Pakistan Rangers that such incidents of accidental crossover are common along the IB that is not well demarcated. The Pakistanis refused to release the jawan,” an official said.
It is obvious that Pakistan will make an issue out of this incident that comes on the heels of the terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday afternoon. Twenty-six tourists were killed in this attack and several injured. Investigations revealed that Pakistani terrorists were among those who varied out the attack. India reacted by downgrading diplomatic ties with Pakistan and withholding the Indus Water Sharing Treaty. Pakistan, in retaliation, Pakistan cancelled the Simla Agreement on Thursday and banned Indian civilian flights from using its airspace.
It is still not known where the BSF jawan has been taken or how he is being treated.