Image of BSF troops used for representational purposes (Photo | PTI) 
India

BSF jawan held by Pakistan Rangers after accidentally crossing border, flag meeting on to secure his release

Such inadvertent crossings by troops or civilians are not unusual and are typically resolved through established military protocols.

Harpreet Bajwa

CHANDIGARH: A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan has been taken into custody by the Pakistan Rangers after he accidentally crossed into the neighbouring country in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab on the India-Pakistan international border.

Sources said that the incident occurred on Thursday when BSF constable PK Singh of the 182nd BSF battalion was on duty near the international border.

During routine patrolling, Singh inadvertently entered Pakistani territory, where he was detained by the Pakistan Rangers. The jawan was in uniform and carried his service rifle. He was accompanying farmers on the Indian side of the border when he moved ahead of the fence and was apprehended.

Following his detention, officials of the BSF and Rangers initiated a flag meeting to resolve the matter and secure his release. The talks are currently ongoing, but the jawan has not yet been handed back.

Such inadvertent crossings by troops or civilians are not unusual and are typically resolved through established military protocols. The detained personnel are usually repatriated after procedural flag meetings.

This comes at a time when tensions between the two countries are at a high following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people on Tuesday.

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