Jammu/New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS): India Thursday asked Pakistan to free a Border Security Force (BSF) trooper who was swept away in the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir and who landed on the Pakistani side.
Satyasheel Yadav, who was part of a water patrol party of the BSF in Akhnoor area of the international border, was swept away in the river after their motorboat developed a mechanical fault Wednesday.
"While three of his colleagues swam to safety, Yadav was carried to the Pakistani side by the powerful current of the river," BSF sources told IANS in Jammu.
The trooper was carried by the river current to Bajwaat village in Sialkot area of Pakistan. Yadav hails from Ferozabad in Uttar Pradesh.
On Thursday, India raised diplomatically both in India and Islamabad the issue of the expeditious release of the BSF constable.
Pakistan's deputy high commissioner in New Delhi was called to the ministry of external affairs in South Block where Joint Secretary Rudrendra Tandon conveyed the Indian request.
A similar request was also made by the Indian mission in Islamabad, said a statement from the external affairs ministry.
"Pakistan Rangers have confirmed that the trooper is in their custody. We have sought a flag meeting to get the trooper back," a BSF source said in Jammu.