A 23-year-old Indian national, Dalwinder Singh, who had crossed into Pakistan at Kasur's Ballanwala village on March 6, 2017, was handed over to Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) on Sunday, read a statement issued by the military's media wing.

Singh was handed over to the BSF by Punjab Rangers at the Wagah checkpost "after following due legal process," the statement said.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations, Singh thanked Pakistan's security forces for the "treatment and care meted to him throughout the duration of his stay and for allowing him to return to his homeland".

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Last year Chandu Babulal Chohan, an Indian soldier, was "convinced to return to his own country" after he deserted his post "due to his grievances of maltreatment against his commanders".

According to an ISPR statement, Chohan had been stationed in Indian-held Kashmir. He had "wilfully crossed the LoC on September 29, 2016, and surrendered himself to the Pakistan Army," the press release said.

The soldier was "handed over to Indian authorities at Wahga border on humanitarian grounds" on January 21, 2017.