Daily Times

NEW DELHI: India has once again claimed to have taken into custody a ‘Pakistani pigeon’ with Urdu scribble written on its wings, from Bamial village in Indian Punjab as well as a ‘Pakistani boat’ along with its crew from the Arabian Sea off Gujarat coast.

The pigeon, detained by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, had an Urdu message addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).

The development came just a day after Indian forces claimed to have recovered two balloons with a similar message from the same area. “Modi, do not consider us the same people as we were during 1971. Now each and every child is ready to fight against India,” read the message.

A senior police official in Pathankot said the grey-coloured pigeon was found by BSF near their post on Sunday. “The pigeon was carrying the letter when it was found,” Inspector Ramesh Kumar said, adding the bird was been taken into ‘custody’. “We are investigating the matter.”

This is not the first time India has ‘arrested’ a pigeon on suspicion of spying. Last year, a pigeon allegedly bearing a stamped message with a wire-like object on its body had made Indian authorities question its flight into the village of Pathankot in Punjab.

Hours after India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar claimed efforts were on to secure the release of a soldier allegedly detained by Pakistan, the Indian Coast Guards claimed to have apprehended nine crew members on board a Pakistani boat from Arabian Sea off Gujarat coast.

According to The Hindu, preliminary investigation suggested all crew members were fishermen who inadvertently crossed into Indian waters.

“The boat and the crew members are being escorted to Porbandar for further investigation,” a statement by the defence PRO wing commander said.

Relations between the two nuclear-armed south Asia neighbours have plummeted since India claimed to have carried out ‘surgical strikes’ into temporary militant camps inside the Pakistani territory on Wednesday.

Pakistan flatly denied the Indian claims, saying two of its soldiers were killed from unprovoked cross-border firing at the Line of Control (LoC) by Indian security forces.

Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as the maritime border in Arabian sea is poorly defined and many boats lack the technology to be aware of their precise location. Recently, Pakistan released more than 300 Indian fishermen who had completed their term while over 00 others are currently in Karachi prisons.