ISLAMABAD – A rare goodwill gesture from Indian government towards Pakistan.
Two Pakistani teenagers Sajjad Haider and Mubashar Bilal mistakenly enteredIndian territory in February and December of 2018 respectively, and weresubsequently detained in Punjab and Delhi.
Two Pakistani citizens were handed over to Pakistan Rangers at the Wagahborder crossing in Punjab on Tuesday.
Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah sanctioned the repatriation of the twoboys, who were held by the Border Security Force (BSF) after they enteredIndian territory in 2018.
Mubshar Bilal, 17, from Pakistan’s Kasur district, inadvertently crossedthe international border in February 2018 near Amritsar. He was acquittedby the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) more than a year ago but faced a delayin his release due to diplomatic hurdles.
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Sajjad Haider, who crossed the border in December 2018 according toPakistan’s private news outlet, was held in Delhi.
The news of the boys’ release comes amid rising tensions with civiliansreported injured on both sides of the border after persistent artilleryfire.
The two nuclear-armed nations have accused each other of violating the 2003ceasefire agreement over 3,000 times in the past year.
