Tharparkar boy returns home after mistakenly crossing into India

Indian border forces hand over 8-year-old as Pak-India tensions thaw

KARACHI:

With renewed hope of peace between Pakistan and India after a ceasefire along the Line of Control, an 8-year-old boy who mistakenly ventured into Indian territory was sent back home on Monday as the nuclear-armed neighbours look to ease tensions

Kareem Dino, a resident of Tharparkar’s Chachro, was taken into custody by Indian Border Security Forces on April 3.

"Pakistan Rangers 31 wing contacted Indian forces and returned him back to his family who live near the border area," Deputy Commissioner Tharpakar Mohammad Nawaz Soho told The Express Tribune.

Residents of the village near Chachro are jubilant as the boy has returned.

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It is pertinent to mention here that a few months ago an ill-fated teenager was killed by the Indian forces while crossing the border from Nagar Parkar area. His body was received by the family two days after the incident.

"There is fencing at the border, but people sometimes mistakenly cross the border too," local journalist Sajjid Bajeer said.

In March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan on the Pakistan Day and expressed his desire to have “cordial relationship” with the people of Pakistan.

Tensions between the two countries have been on the mend since Pakistan and India agreed to restore 2003 ceasefire understanding on February 25. Following the agreement between the director general military operations, the two countries also decided to lower rhetoric in order to create a better environment for further steps.

Both PM Imran and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa recently sounded conciliatory towards India. While the premier said India would have to take the first step, the army chief maintained that it was time to “bury the past and move forward.”