"The decision of the government of Pakistan to return the Indian soldier is based on humanitarian grounds and the commitment to ensure peace and tranquility along the LoC and the working boundary," it said.
Chandu Chavan, the Rashtriya Rifles jawan who inadvertently crossed over the Line of Control (LoC) to Pakistan, is finally back in India. Chavan, who had crossed over on September 30, was handed over to the Indian Army by Pakistani troops at the Wagah border on Saturday at 2.30 pm. As news broke, in Dhule, 350 km from Mumbai, a village got ready to welcome its son back.
Once Chavan crossed the LoC, a few days after the Indian Army's surgical strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Indian Army had maintained that he was not part of the strike team.
Pakistan military's media wing ISPR claimed on Saturday that Chavan deserted his checkpost in Jammu and Kashmir over severe grievances with superiors and leadership.
"The decision of the government of Pakistan to return the Indian soldier is based on humanitarian grounds and the commitment to ensure peace and tranquility along the LoC and the working boundary," it said.
At his residence, relatives were overwhelmed. Chavan's brother Bhushan, also a soldier, expressed gratitude to the Indian Army for taking strident efforts in bringing Chandu back.
"I received a call from Subhash Bhamre (Minister of State for Defence and local MP) and he informed us about Chandu's release," Bhushan said, adding that he was grateful to the minister and all officials of DGMO.
"After he went missing and it was confirmed that he was in Pakistani custody, we did not celebrate Diwali or other festivals. We suffered another shock the same day. Our grandmother died immediately after hearing the news about Chandu. We cannot express our happiness now," Bhushan said over the phone.
"She was very close to Chandu. After the cremation, we did not do the Asthi Visarjan (immersion of mortal remains) of our grand mother. We decided that we will do that only when Chandu is back. Now, the day has come to perform the last rites," Bhushan said.
Chavan's family had requested the Centre and the Army that Chavan should be sent home first before any inquiry. "There are some people who are still in the custody of Pakistan. We are really lucky that we got our brother back," Bhushan said. Meanwhile, preparations had started in the village to give Chandu a grand welcome and crackers are being burst, he said.
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