India hands over two inadvertent border-crossers to Pakistan

LAHORE: Two Pakistani schoolboys, who were falsely accused of being involved in last year’s attack on a military base in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), were handed over to Pakistan at Wagha border here on Friday.

Ahsan Khursheed and Faisal Awan, residents of a village in Azad Kashmir situated at an hour’s walk from the Line of Control, were picked by the Indian army after they inadvertently crossed the border on Sept 21, 2016.

India blamed Pakistan for the Uri attack on Sept 18, 2016 in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed and some others were injured. These boys were taken in custody. They were shifted to unknown places and interrogated.

The interrogation conducted by India’s premiere agency, National Investigation Agency (NIA), proved that the boys were innocent. The NIA freed the two young men on Wednesday, clarifying that the 'suspects' had actually run away from home to avoid studies, reports said.

According to media reports, evidence collected in the form of statements, technical analysis of their mobile phones, seized GPS devices and other circumstantial evidence collected by the NIA did not prove any linkage of the suspects with the Uri attackers.

The issue was first raised in Geo News programme, Aj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Saath, a few weeks back. On Friday, Ahsan and Faisal were handed over to Pakistan Rangers by the Border Security Force (BSF) of India at the Wagha border.

Family and loved-ones of both the boys were jubilant after receiving them at the border. They told the media that it was a tough time for the families when they found their loved-ones in the Indian custody for Uri attack. In tears, they said they have no words to express their thoughts and feelings at that moment.