Authorities on Thursday handed over the body of an eight-year-old of Pakistan-administered Kashmir boy whose body was fished out of Kishenganga river in Gurez valley of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
An official said that the body was handed over to Pakistan army by the Army, officials of the district administration Bandipora and J&K police at Dudgai Post Chorwan.
Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Shahbaz Mirza said that army officials along with SDM and Tehsildar Gurez handed over the body at 2 pm today via Chorwan border.
A senior police officer said the minor boy had drowned in Neelum river in Minimarg area of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on July 08 and his body was fished out in Gurez on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a defence spokesman said the deceased identified as Abid was missing since 8 July and people suspected that he could have slipped into Burzil Nala. “In accordance with its ethos and as a humanitarian gesture the Indian Army established contact with the Pakistan Army on hot line and also convinced the civil administration to delay the last rites. The local religious head and village elders were taken in confidence to support the noble gesture of handing over the mortal remains to the family of the deceased boy at the earliest. The locals also offered prayers for the departed at the Dawar Mosque. Meanwhile, the social media kept buzzing throughout with pleas and requests from both sides of the Line of Control to hand over the mortal remains of young Abid to his parents,” the spokesman said.
“On 10 Jul 19, the Commanders of the local formations of the Indian Army at Gurez made sincere efforts to hand over the dead body to the Pakistani counterparts in Minimarg, but to no avail. The Commanders at highest level of Indian Army had to intervene and finally the mortal remains have been handed over to the Pakistan Army on 11 Jul 19 near Village Dudhgai. The people from the area appreciated the humanitarian efforts of Indian Army towards assuaging the grief of the family members due to loss of the precious life of a young boy from Gilgit-Baltistan,” the spokesman added.