Army arrests 12-year-old son of former Pak soldier on LoC

Days after Pakistan army's Border Action Team (BAT) mutilated the bodies of two soldiers in Krishna Ghati sector, the Army arrested a 12-year-old son of a former Pakistan army official on the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district in Jammu division.

Ashfaq Ali Chauhan, who is the son of a retired Baluch Regiment soldier Hussain Malik was arrested on Friday evening. A resident of Village Dunger Pel, tehsil Samani of Bhimber district in PoK, Chauhan was arrested when he was moving suspiciously after crossing into the Indian side of LoC, said Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta, defence spokesman at Jammu.

After preliminary questioning, the Army handed over the boy to the police for further investigation.

Sources said the Army and police are probing whether he was sent to conduct the reconnaissance of the possible infiltration routes or it was an inadvertent crossing on the LoC. "We are not leaving anything to chance. Snow has started melting on the passes and there is an apprehension of infiltration from the other side of LoC," said an officer.

The arrest of Pakistan army officer's son has come five days after Border Action Team (BAT) of Pakistan army badly mutilated the bodies of two Indian soldiers after crossing over the LoC at Krishna Ghati sub-sector of Poonch district in Jammu division on May 1.