Indian Army repatriates Pakistani national detained along LoC

SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: Amid the hostility between the two countries, the Indian Army has repatriated a Pakistani national, who was detained along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Kupwara district last week.

The handover formalities were marked by a handshake between a Major-rank officer of the Indian Army and his Pakistani counterpart, seen in a series of photos posted by the Indian Army on X on Friday.

The handshake is a sign of easing of tensions along the LoC, where the situation normally remains tense due to frequent infiltration from the Pakistani side.

“A Pakistani national, Asad Khan, a resident of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), who was apprehended in Simari village, Kupwara, on 12 June 2026 after crossing the Line of Control, was repatriated to Pakistan on 18 June 2026,” Chinar Corps of the Indian Army posted on X on Friday.

Khan’s handover took place at Aman Setu peace bridge over Kishanganga river in Kupwara’s Teetwal, around 158km north of Srinagar, in the presence of senior officials.

“Based on specific intelligence inputs, alert #ChinarWarriors, in a joint operation with @JmuKmrPolice, intercepted the individual and prevented any potential security breach,” the Army’s Chinar Corps has posted.

During his six-day stay in India after being captured, “Asad Khan was treated with dignity and compassion, reflecting the Indian Army’s unwavering commitment to humanitarian values and conduct,” the Army’s post further said, adding “his safe repatriation underscores the Indian Army’s ethos, responsibility and adherence to the highest standards of military professionalism.”

Khan, whose three brothers work in Saudi Arabia, had travelled to POK’s Neelum Valley in search of a job and reportedly lost his way and inadvertently crossed the LoC.