MISSING 22-year-old Chavan had crossed de-facto border hours after India’s surgical strikes

NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Army has informed its Indian counterpart that it is not aware of the whereabouts of Chandu Chavan, the soldier who inadvertently strayed across the Line of Control, according to a media report.

AFP PHOTOSoldiers stand on a tank transporter outside an army camp in the village of Jourian, Akhnoor Sector, Jammu, on Saturday.

Chavan, a 22-year-old soldier from the 37 Rashtriya Rifles, had mistakenly crossed the de facto border in Kashmir hours after India’s surgical strikes on terrorist bases across the LoC on Thursday. The Indian Army, in a communication with the Pakistan Army’s military operations directorate, asked for Chavan’s release as it believes he is in Pakistani custody, the Dawn daily quoted a military source as saying.

The Pakistani military operations directorate, in its reply, expressed ignorance about his whereabouts, the report said. The contact took place at the level of “duty officers” and the Indian side was told the soldier “was being traced”.

The Indian Army reiterated on Saturday that Chavan had inadvertently strayed across the LoC and was being held captive by the Pakistan Army. A senior official said the Indian director general of military operations had taken up the matter with his Pakistani counterpart.

Under a bilateral arrangement, soldiers who inadvertently cross the LoC are handed over to their side. “However, the level of tensions between the two countries, particularly after the Indian claims about ‘surgical strikes’, precludes any possibility of cooperation,” the Dawn reported. JHARKHAND JAWAN DIES AT LINE OF CONTROL RANCHI: A jawan from Jharkhand died while performing his duty along the LoC on Friday. Although army officers have contended that Francis Horo died during patrolling, his family is still clueless about the reason behind his death. Horo was a resident of Serengtoli village under Lali panchayat in Ranchi district. He is survived by wife and two daughters. Horo’s wife has appealed to the state government to bear the costs of her daughters’ upbringing.