SRINAGAR: Amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, Indian authorities today handed over the body of an 18-year-old Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) national to Pakistani officials at the Teetwal Crossing Point in Kupwara district, in a rare display of cross-border humanitarianism.
The deceased’s body was recovered on July 20 from the banks of the Kishanganga River near Keran. With no claimants coming forward, the body was buried by the local Auqaf Committee in Keran following the legal formalities.
Officials said that Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) formally communicated with the Indian counterpart, requesting the return of the body, claiming Shazad Manzoor, a resident of Sheikh Bela in Neelum district of PoK, had allegedly drowned in the Kishanganga River and the body floated down the river to a village in Keran Kupwara.
The request was formally forwarded to civil authorities in Jammu and Kashmir for identification and repatriation. Acting on the request, the District Magistrate of Kupwara ordered the exhumation of the body on July 30 under Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to facilitate repatriation.
A team comprising Tehsildar Keran, a medical team, and Kupwara police exhumed the body and transported it to Teetwal under tight security, officials said.
The handover took place at 6 PM on Saturday at Teetwal Crossing Point, jointly supervised by Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Karnah, Zaffar Ahmad Lone, and Assistant Commissioner from Neelum PoK, Basharat.
“The process was carried out in close coordination with military and civil authorities from both sides, ensuring all legal and humanitarian protocols were strictly followed,” officials said.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated since India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, where 25 tourists and a local resident were killed.
