Islamabad - Pakistan Army said on Saturday that an Indian soldier who crossed the Line of Control last year “has been convinced to return to his own country” and was handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border.
Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chohan, 22, had crossed over in September last year as tensions rose following a cross-border raid that India claimed it carried out across LoC.
“As a gesture of goodwill and in continuation of our efforts to maintain peace and tranquillity along LoC and Working Boundary, Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chohan has been convinced to return to his own country and will be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah Border on humanitarian grounds,” Inter-Services Public Relations said in a press release earlier Saturday.
Later in the afternoon, the reluctant Indian soldier was handed over to the Indian authorities at the Wagah border.
According to Foreign Office, the Indian soldier deserted his check post in Occupied Kashmir and crossed the Line of Control over severe grievances with his superiors and leadership.
Pakistan convinced the soldier that being an Indian national he should return to his country and address his grievances through local grievance mechanisms.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan’s decision to return the Indian soldier is based on humanitarian grounds and the commitment to ensure peace and tranquillity at the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.
It said despite Indian belligerence, Pakistan believes in the peaceful neighbourhood and rejects all actions aimed at undermining regional peace and security.
According to Indian media, Chandu Babulal Chohan returned via the land transit route at the Attari-Wagah border. The Indian Border Security Force handed him over to the army, which took him to an undisclosed location.
Chohan from 37 Rashtriya Rifles belongs to Borvihir village in Dhule district of the west central Indian state of Maharashtra. He will be first medically examined by a team of army doctors, said an official posted at Attari.
Indian Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said his ministry and the DGMO had been constantly trying their level best to secure the release of the soldier “who was in Pakistan’s custody after he inadvertently crossed the LoC”.
He said the soldier will be able to return home after the army completes due procedure. “The external affairs ministry was also involved. All efforts were made to secure the release of the soldier and the result is that he has been released today,” Bhamre said.
“Our DGMO was in touch with his Pakistani counterpart. Last week we were told that he will be released soon,” he said.