Border Force personnel exchanged: Pakistan returns BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw after 21 days; Family rejoices

New Delhi: Amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan handed over BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw to India while Muhammadullah of the Pakistan Rangers was handed over to Pakistani officials by the Border Security Force on Wednesday.

Muhammadullah was apprehended by BSF from Rajasthan border on May 3. As per Pak media, Muhammadullah had inadvertently crossed into India and was taken into custody by BSF.

Shaw was handed over to India, 21 days after he was apprehended by the Pakistani Rangers. He had "inadvertently" crossed over to Pakistan territory while on operational duty in Ferozepur sector around 11.50 am on April 23.


Shaw was handed over to BSF by Pakistan Rangers at 10.30 am at the joint check post Attari in Amritsar district opposite Pakistan's Wagah, a BSF spokesperson said. A picture of the jawan released by the force showed a bearded Shaw with ruffled hair and wearing a dark green round-neck T-shirt.

"Today, at 1030 hours, constable Purnam Kumar Shaw has been taken back from Pakistan by BSF at the Attari-Wagah border," the spokesman said. According to officials, the jawan will undergo a full body check-up and medical test followed by a counselling and debriefing session and examined about his 21-day capture by the Pak Rangers.

The jawan, belonging to the 24th BSF battalion, will not be drafted in active duty and will also be part of an official inquiry instituted by the Punjab frontier of BSF to look into the sequence of events which led to his apprehension by the Rangers. The spokesperson said the handover of the jawan at the border "was conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols".

"With consistent efforts of BSF, through regular flag meetings with Pakistan Rangers and through other channels, the repatriation was made possible," he said.

With Agency Inputs