NEW DELHI: Pakistan returned a captured border guard to India on Wednesday, in a fresh sign of detente after a ceasefire ended four days of conflict between the nuclear-armed nations. The guard was captured a day after an April attack in Indian-administered Kashmir which killed 26 people and sparked tit-for-tat missile, drone and fighter jet attacks. No group claimed responsibility for the April 22 attack but India blamed Pakistan for backing it. Islamabad rejects the accusations and has called for an independent probe. "Purnam Kumar Shaw, who had been in the custody of Pakistan Rangers since 23 April 2025, was handed over to India," India's Border Security Force said in a statement. The handover was "conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols," it added. Shaw's wife Rajani had earlier told the Indian Express newspaper that she was confident he would come back after the ceasefire was announced.
Pakistan's army announced on Wednesday a new death toll from the fighting, saying India's "unprovoked and reprehensible dastardly attacks" killed 40 civilians, including seven women and 15 children, and that 13 military service members had died in operations. India has said that 15 civilians and five soldiers died. The flare-up in violence was the worst since the rivals' last open conflict in 1999 and sparked global shudders that it could spiral into a full-blown war. The Pakistani military has said it downed five Indian jets, but has not admitted losing any aircraft of its own. India has not disclosed losing any aircraft.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address to the nation on Monday that Pakistan had chosen to attack rather than help it fight "terrorism". "If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given," he said. Modi wrote on X on Tuesday that he had met with service members involved in the conflict. "It was a very special experience to be with those who epitomise courage, determination and fearlessness. India is eternally grateful to our armed forces for everything they do for our nation," he said.
Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement that it rejected "provocative and inflammatory assertions" and his "propensity to fabricate misleading narratives to justify aggression". "Make no mistake, we will closely monitor India's actions and behaviour in this regard in the coming days. We also urge the international community to do the same," it added.
Gunmen have stepped up operations on the Indian side of Kashmir since 2019, when Modi's nationalist government revoked the region's limited autonomy and imposed direct rule from New Delhi. A gunbattle at a forest around 65 kilometres from Pahalgam, the site of the April 22 attack on tourists, left three gunmen dead from the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group, the Indian army said on Wednesday. "The three were actively involved in recent activities in the region," it said in a post on X. "Recoveries from the operation include AK series rifles, large quantity of ammunition, grenades and other" military materials, it said.
Despite mutual claims on initial violations, the ceasefire still appeared to be holding on Tuesday. Trump said on Monday that US intervention had prevented a "bad nuclear war". "We stopped a nuclear conflict... millions of people could have been killed. So I'm very proud of that," he told reporters at the White House. Schools have reopened their doors in Chakothi, a Pakistani village along the border, as well as in Srinagar, a key city in India-held Kashmir.
Three suspected gunmen were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday in a gun battle with soldiers, the army said, the first since an attack on tourists last month brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war. The clash happened after the army's special counter-insurgency force received information that they were in Keller forest in the southern Kashmir valley, the army said. A "search and destroy Operation" was launched leading to a clash, the Indian army said on X. "During the operation, terrorists opened heavy fire and fierce firefight ensued, which resulted in elimination of three hardcore terrorists," it said. — AFP
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