Saturday 27 / April / 2024
Attari: Pakistan on Saturday handed over to India its soldier who had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control(LoC) hours after the army’s surgical strike in September last year.
Chandu Babulal Chavan, 22, returned through the land transit route of Attari-Wagah border.
The Border Security Force handed him over to the Army which took him to an undisclosed location. Chavan, posted with 37 Rashtriya Rifles, had mistakenly crossed the boundary in Kashmir hours after India’s surgical strikes on terrorist bases across the LoC.
Chavan’s brother Bhushan Chavan, who is also a soldier, said he is thankful to the army for its effort.
“I am thankful to Director General of Military Operations and army for the efforts they have made. I am never going to forget this. I am also a soldier and will continue to do my duty with full honesty till my last breath,” he said.
“I am grateful to the villagers and everybody who prayed for not just my brother but for a soldier of this country,” Bhushan said.
Chavan belongs to Borvihir village in Dhule district of the west central Indian state of Maharashtra. His grandmother had died of shock following the news of his capture by Pakistani troops. The Army in a statement said Chavan crossed over to Pakistan-administered-Kashmir from Krishna Ghati sector.
In order to ensure his release the matter was taken up with Pakistani military authorities through the existing hotline and scheduled DGMO level talks.
His presence was acknowledged by Pakistan on October 7.
“The matter has been continuously raised in scheduled DGMO level talks since then. The issue was also taken up diplomatically through our High Commission in Pakistan and Ministry of External Affairs.
“Today at 1pm, we finally got confirmation by Pakistan military authorities that Chavan would be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah at 3pm Indian time. The jawan was finally handed over to our representatives at Wagah Crossing Point at approximately 3:45pm,” it said on Saturday.
