The body of an eight-year-old boy recovered from Kishenganga (Neelum) River in Gurez valley will be handed over to his family on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control.
The boy was found dead in the river on Tuesday a day afterhe was reported missing near the LoC in Minimarg area of Pakistan-administeredKashmir.
A senior police official in Bandipora said that someFacebook pages operating from across the border identified the boy after hisbody was retrieved from Kishenganga in Achoora village of Gurez.
Reports circulating on social media identified the boy asAabid Sheikh, son of Nazir Ahmad Sheikh of Minimarg in Gilgit-Baltistan.
A post on Facebook said that the boy had gone missing fromhis home on July 8 at around 11 am.
A senior official told Greater Kashmir that a process ofcontacting relevant people from the other side of the border was initiated.
He said that earlier it was decided that the body will behanded over to the family via Achoora border at 2 pm, but the Pakistan Armydidn’t allow saying the area was laden with mines.
“The issue was taken up with the army in Gurez who took upthe matter with their counterparts in PaK. Achoora was the nearest placebordering Minimarg and Gurez but Pakistan army didn’t allow, citing minefieldsas the reason,” he said.
The official said that the process for repatriation of thebody was already underway and all legal and other formalities were completed.
“After the Pak army didn’t allow to hand over the body fromAchoora border it was taken to Chorwan village, the last village in Gurezconnecting with Pakistan administered Kashmir. But Pak army again refused totake the body,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza, said hehad taken up the matter with Army in Gurez to hand over the body but Pakistanrefused to take the body via Achoora border.
Mirza said that fresh attempt was made by administration andArmy to hand over the body to family via Chorwan border but Pakistan Army againrefused to take the body.
“Army officers, SDM and tehsildar Gurez went near the borderat Chorwan to hand over the body but Pak army refused to take the body evenafter coming close to this side of the border. We will make another attempttomorrow morning to hand over the body. If Pakistan army refuses to take thebody it will be then buried in Gurez,” he said.
A purported video of deceased boy’s parents also surfaced onFacebook on Tuesday, appealing authorities from both sides of the border tobring it home.
Kishenganga River flows from Gilgit-Baltistan inPakistan-administered Kashmir where it is known as Neelum river.
The police official said that the boy may have drowned thereand his body reached Gurez with the flow of the water.