India returns detained boy

Published March 19, 2005

LAHORE, March 18: India on Friday returned a boy to Pakistan, a day after 21 prisoners were sent back home along with East Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. Mohammad Mir Zaman, 15, had reportedly strayed across the border from his village in Sialkot some two-and-a-half years ago. He was a 6th class student when caught by Indian forces and was kept in various Indian jails. Pakistan Rangers received the boy who had a gift pack with him when he walked into this side of the border. “His parents had been informed. They will be in Lahore in a day or so,” said a Rangers official who handed over the boy to the prison authorities. The boy is likely to be questioned by various law-enforcement agencies before being returned to his family, the official said. The latest swap has begun after President Musharraf announced release of the first batch comprising 83 Indian prisoners out of over 500 in Pakistani prisons. The 21 prisoners accompanied the chief minister on his return via Wagah border on Thursday. Punjab prison authorities told Dawn that a major number of prisoners from both countries were expected to be swapped on March 21.

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