11-year-old boy from Pakistan occupied Kashmir sent back home

Officials added the boy was released on humanitarian grounds, owing to his young age and to boost the confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan

An 11-year-old boy, who had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control and reached India on Sunday, has been sent back home on humanitarian grounds through the Chakan Da Bagh crossing point in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, the Indian Army has said.

Pakistani rangers (wearing black uniforms) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) officers lower their national flags during a daily parade at the Pakistan-India joint check-post at Wagah border, near Lahore November 3, 2014. (Reuters File Photo)

Mohammad Abdullah was apprehended by the army on June 24 in Degwar area of Poonch district and handed over to the police on the same day. The police carried out the necessary formalities for his repatriation and Abdullah was sent back on Wednesday.

He is the son of Sarfaraz, a resident of Degwar tehsil in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir’s Haveli district, officials said.

Officials added Abdullah was released on humanitarian grounds, owing to his young age and to boost the confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan. He was given new clothes and a box of sweets, they added.

“Indian Army stands by its ethos of being a humane force and maintains sensitivity while dealing with innocent civilians,” an official said.