NEW DELHI: A “Pakistani” pigeon was taken into custody by Indian border guards after a letter addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was found on the bird.
The letter to PM Modi was written in Urdu and read: “Modi Ji, do not consider us same people as we were during 1971 (Indo-Pak war). Now each and every child is ready to fight against India.”
The grey pigeon was discovered by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) near Simbal post in Bamial sector on Sunday, the Times of India reported. Police Inspector Ramesh Kumar said that the bird was taken into “custody.” “We are investigating the matter,” he added.
Similar messages to Modi, which were carried by two balloons, were recovered in the same region on Saturday. A white pigeon with a piece of paper containing “some words written in Urdu,” was also discovered in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district in September.
The historically strained relationship between Pakistan and India has again escalated in recent month. It started with the killing of prominent leader, Burhan Wani, in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir by Indian security forces in July, and the subsequent crackdown on his supporters.
In September, 18 Indian soldiers were killed in an attack on an army base, with New Delhi blaming Islamabad for the incident. This week, India said it had carried out “surgical strikes” against Pakistan-based militants across the de facto border in Kashmir, but Pakistan said that the attack targeted its military, killing two troops.
