1 week Ago By Moneycontrol
Border Security Force (BSF) constable Purnab Kumar Shaw, who inadvertently crossed the international border on Wednesday, continues to be held by Pakistan for the fourth consecutive day, as the neighboring country has not responded to India's repeated requests for his release. “Since Wednesday afternoon, we have been hoping for a positive response from Pakistan, but there has been no development so far," a BSF official familiar with the matter said. A flag meeting between the BSF and Pakistan Rangers held on Friday — the third such meeting requested by India since the incident — ended without any breakthrough.
“Our teams assembled at the designated point with the flag raised as per protocol, but initially, there was no response from the Pakistan Rangers. Later in the afternoon, they arrived and questioned the need for the meeting, despite the situation being quite clear,” said an official involved in the discussions. “They said they were still awaiting instructions from their superiors.
Once again, the talks ended inconclusively,” he added. Constable Shaw, a native of Hooghly district in West Bengal, had accidentally crossed into Pakistani territory while assisting farmers near the zero line on Wednesday afternoon. “The fencing is present only on the Indian side, while the actual international boundary is marked by a small pillar — something that can be difficult to identify, especially for new personnel,” another BSF officer explained.
He pointed out that India frequently returns civilians and even security personnel who inadvertently cross the border without hostile intent. The incident gained public attention on Thursday amid heightened security along the Indo-Pak border and coincided with India’s announcement of strong diplomatic measures against Pakistan, following the terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 tourists..
