11-yr-old PoK boy repatriated on humanitarian grounds

An 11-year-old boy, from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was on Thursday handed over to Pakistan authorities, four days after he inadvertently crossed into the Indian side in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, a defence spokesman said.

Mohammad Abdullah was apprehended by the Army on June 24 in the Degwar sector along the Line of Control (LoC) and handed over to the police on the same day for necessary formalities, he said.

"Abdullah has been released on humanitarian grounds, owing to his young age and to boost the confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan," the spokesman said.

The boy was repatriated at the Chakan Da Bagh crossing point after the police completed the formalities for his repatriation, he said.

The spokesman said that Abdullah has been presented a set of new clothes and a box of sweets.

The Army stands by its ethos of being a humane force and maintains sensitivity while dealing with innocent civilians, he said.