The Army on Friday returned to the Pakistan Army the bullet-riddled corpse of the Pakistani soldier killed on Thursday when he allegedly intruded into Jammu and Kashmir. The body was returned at a specially held flag meeting along the Line of Control.
The Pakistani soldier had, on being challenged, allegedly opened fire on Indian troops, injuring two of them, but was killed in retaliatory fire. However, Pakistani officers claimed their soldier had been walking from one military post to another on his own side of the LoC when he inadvertently stepped into the Indian side and was shot in spite of disclosing his identity.
[The Pakistan foreign office, PTI reported, said the killing of the Pakistani soldier “goes against the understanding reached between Pakistan and India on speedy return of inadvertent line crossers and has the potential to further vitiate the atmosphere”.]
The exchange of fire took place in Laam sector of Rajouri district. It is outside the town of Noushehra and about 100 km from Jammu. The Pakistani soldier was in uniform and carrying an AK-47. His corpse was first handed over to the Jammu and Kashmir police by the Army.
A case registered at the Noushehra police station mentions the name of the slain Pakistani soldier as Muhammad Ikhlaq of 60 Punjab Regiment (Pakistan). The area SDM Rajinder Khajuria, confirming this, said the body was of a Pakistani soldier killed in an exchange of fire with Indian troops.
Soon after the incident, the Pakistan Army DGMO confirmed the identity of the slain man as their soldier.
He requested his Indian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Vinod Bhatia, to return the body, which was accepted.
“The body has been handed over to the Pakistan Army at 5.55 pm,” Army sources said. The meeting at which the body was to be handed over was scheduled at 3 pm but hostile weather delayed the helicopter carrying the body.