India-Pakistan war: In a major development that could further escalate border tensions amid the threat of a major India-Pakistan war, the Border Security Force (BSF) has reportedly apprehended a Pakistani Ranger along the International Border (IB) in Rajasthan, reports said Saturday.
Citing sources, a PTI report said the Pakistani Ranger has been taken into custody by the BSF’s Rajasthan frontier, nearly a fortnight after a BSF jawan by the Rangers along the IB in Punjab.
The development comes amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed enemies after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, when armed terrorists gunned down 26 civilians, mostly Indian Hindu tourists in Baisaran Valley in the hill resort of Pahalgam in Kashmir.
A day later, BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw was apprehended by the Rangers on April 23 from along this international border in Punjab. The Pakistani Rangers have refused to hand him over despite a strong protest registered by the Indian force. Normally, these matter are resolved at a low-key flag meeting between the two sides.
India and Pakistan, bitter enemies since the former’s independence and the latter’s creation in 1947, are standing on the brink of a major war after terrorists, allegedly linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, gunned down 26 civilians, mostly Indian Hindu tourists, in Kashmir’s scenic Pahalgam hill resort on April 22 last month.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly held separate calls with top Indian and Pakistani leader urging the two nuclear-armed neighbors to exercise restraint and resolve the matter through dialogue after Pakistani authorities held an emergency presser, saying the possibility of an Indian military strike was high within the 36 hours.
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