India and Pakistan Coordinate Repatriation of Child’s Body Carried Across Line of Control

Srinagar, May 08 : In a rare gesture of compassion amid strained India–Pakistan ties, the body of 7-year-old Zulkarnain Ali from Ladakh, swept away by the Suru River into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was finally returned to his family after weeks of negotiations.

On March 20, Zulkarnain and another child fell into the Suru River while playing near Hunderman village in Kargil. The strong current claimed both lives. While one body was recovered immediately, Zulkarnain’s was carried across the Line of Control into Baltistan. A missing case was registered at Kargil police station under FIR number 9/2026.

Months of communication between Indian and Pakistani officials led to a rare agreement. On Tuesday, Pakistani authorities handed over the child’s body at the Teetwal Bridge in Kupwara district. Ladakh police escorted it back to Kargil, where the family and villagers mourned together.

Closed since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the Teetwal crossing was reopened on humanitarian grounds for this handover. Locals described it as proof that “humanity should always be greater than enmity,”.

Meanwhile, Political leader Sajjad Kargil praised the initiative and urged both nations to establish a structured system for returning civilians and bodies stranded across the LoC. He suggested a dedicated exchange center in the Kargil–Kharmang sector.

“For decades, families separated between Ladakh and Baltistan have struggled not only with living apart but also with the indignity of loved ones buried across the border. Last year, several bodies were interred in Baltistan due to the absence of a formal repatriation process,” he added.

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