ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Rangers on Thursday arrested a soldier of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) after he crossed into Pakistani territory in Punjab, Indian media reported, amid rising tensions between the two nuclear armed countries after the Pahalgam incident.
The Indian soldier was arrested in the Ferozepur sector along the international border, where the soldier, identified as Constable P. K. Singh of the BSF’s 182nd Battalion, strayed beyond the Indian fence during a routine patrol.
“During the routine movement, Singh inadvertently moved beyond the Indian border fence and entered Pakistani territory, where the Pakistan Rangers arrested him across the Ferozepur border,” India Today reported, citing official sources.
The arrest comes amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following the attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) earlier this week, which left 26 people dead and at least 17 injured.
India, without producing any credible evidence, has blamed Pakistan for the incident — an allegation Islamabad has categorically rejected, calling it a “false flag operation.”
#BREAKING: An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldier has been apprehended by Pakistan Rangers after reportedly crossing into their area of responsibility near BSF Post Jaloke Dona.#India #Pakistan #Pahalgam https://t.co/ASKCzMiSdQ pic.twitter.com/H7lqTrxrNW
— Defence Pakistan (@Defence_PK99) April 24, 2025
In the wake of the incident, Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) convened an emergency session and announced a series of retaliatory measures, including the suspension of trade with India and the closure of Pakistan’s airspace to Indian aircraft.
The National Security Committee also issued a strong warning, stating that any attempt by India to divert the flow of water lawfully belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) would be considered “an act of war.”
The Indian government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), unilaterally suspended the Indus Water Treaty — a landmark water-sharing agreement signed in 1960 with the support of the World Bank.
The suspension has drawn criticism from various quarters and further strained bilateral ties.
In response, Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership has said that it may review all existing bilateral agreements with India, including the Simla Agreement.
A statement from the NSC said: “Pakistan reserves the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India in abeyance until India ceases its policy of supporting terrorism inside Pakistan, conducting transnational killings, and violating international law and UN resolutions on Kashmir.”
