RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Army on Sunday sent back to India an Indian citizen who had crossed the border by mistake, said the Inter-Ser­vices Public Relations (ISPR).

Dalwandar Singh, 23, was handed over to the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) at the Wagah border crossing after Punjab Rangers had completed due legal process.

Singh had inadvertently crossed the border and entered Ballanwala village near Kasur on March 6, 2017, said the military’s media affairs wing.

According to ISPR, he expres­sed gratitude to the Pakistani security personnel for taking good care of him during his stay in the country.

In the absence of a mechanism aimed at ensuring their early return, people who cross the India-Pakistan border by mistake often have to endure long ordeals. A Pakistani, who crossed the border when he was only 11 years old, returned home earlier this year after spending 25 years in India.

Siraj-ud-din was released from an Indian prison and handed over by BSF officials to Pakistani security forces at the Wagah crossing last month.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2018