Pakistan says it returned Indian man who strayed crossed border

Dalwandar Singh, 23, had inadvertently crossed the border and entered Ballanwala village near Kasur, some 50km from Lahore, on March 6, 2017.

An Indian national, who inadvertently crossed into Pakistani territory over a year ago, has been handed over to the Indian authorities at the Wagah border.

National flags of India and Pakistan on both sides of Indo-Pakistan International Border at Wagha near Amritsar. (HT Photo)

Dalwandar Singh, 23, was handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday after the Punjab Rangers completed due legal process, according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan military’s media wing.

Singh had inadvertently crossed the border and entered Ballanwala village near Kasur, some 50km from Lahore, on March 6, 2017, it said.

The Pakistani authorities, however, did not mention when Singh was arrested and how long he remained in the custody of the security agencies.

In the absence of a mechanism aimed at ensuring their early return, Indian and Pakistani nationals who cross into each other’s border areas by mistake often endure long ordeals.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)