UPDATE - Pakistan, India exchange border force personnel

UPDATES WITH PAKISTANI SOLDIER RETURNED, CHANGES HL, DECK

By Anadolu staff

Pakistan and India on Wednesday exchanged two border security force personnel, officials said.

Indian authorities handed over Muhammadullah of the Pakistan Rangers to Pakistani officials at the Wagah-Attari border, state-run PTV News reported, citing security sources.

While Pakistan returned an Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) trooper who had allegedly crossed into Pakistani territory last month, officials said.

The BSF trooper, identified as Purnam Kumar Shaw, who had been in the custody of Pakistan Rangers since April 23, was handed over to India on Wednesday through the joint check post Attari, Amritsar, in northern India, said an official statement released by India.

“The handover was conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols,” it said.

The release of the Indian and Pakistani security personnel comes after tensions rocketed between India and Pakistan, including an exchange of missiles and drones last week, following an attack by unidentified gunmen that left 26 people dead, mostly Indian tourists, on April 22 in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The hostilities ended after the US mediated a ceasefire between the two South Asian neighbors last weekend.

*Islamuddin Sajid contributed to this story from Islamabad.