India and Pakistan handed over one prisoner each via the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab, on Wednesday, according to media reports.
Security sources claim that strict security measures were in place throughout the handover, and that both nations turned over officials who had been in each other’s custody.
At the Wagah border, Indian national Purnam Kumar Shah, a Border Security Force constable, was turned over to Indian authorities after being freed by Pakistan.
Muhammad Allah, a Punjab Rangers official, was sent back to Pakistan by Indian authorities in the meantime. However, it’s still unknown what conditions led the two people to enter each other’s territory.
Officials did affirm that both parties had arranged for their repatriation through diplomatic procedures, though.
Pakistan vehemently denounced what it described as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “provocative and inflammatory assertions” earlier on Tuesday, cautioning that such statements pose a “dangerous escalation” and run the risk of further destabilizing an already sensitive regional climate.
Islamabad characterized the Indian premier’s recent speech as “rooted in misinformation, political opportunism, and a blatant disregard for international law,” according to a statement released by Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan.
“Such statements only serve to derail progress at a time when the world is making concerted efforts to restore regional peace and stability,” the spokesperson said, adding that India’s depiction of Pakistan as wanting a ceasefire in “despair and frustration” was a “blatant lie.”
According to the FO, diplomatic interaction enabled by a number of friendly nations that advocated de-escalation led to the ceasefire arrangement along the Line of Control. “Pakistan continues to take steps towards regional stability and remains committed to this understanding,” the statement read.
