Pakistan returns Indian border guard captured after Kashmir attack

Pakistan returned a captured border guard to India on Wednesday, in a fresh sign of detente after a ceasefire ended four days of conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

The guard was captured a day after an April attack in Indian-administered Kashmir which killed 26 people and sparked tit-for-tat missile, drone and fighter jet attacks.

No group claimed responsibility for the April 22 attack but India blamed Pakistan for backing it. Islamabad rejects the accusations and has called for an independent probe.

"Purnam Kumar Shaw, who had been in the custody of Pakistan Rangers since 23 April 2025, was handed over to India," India's Border Security Force said in a statement.

The handover was "conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols," it added.

Shaw's wife Rajani had earlier told the Indian Express newspaper that she was confident he would come back after the ceasefire was announced.

'I had lost hope'

"I had lost all hope," Rajani Shaw, who is pregnant, said. "But after the ceasefire, I became a bit positive, and I have full faith in God that my husband will return safely."

Pakistan's army announced on Wednesday a new death toll from the fighting, saying India's "unprovoked and reprehensible dastardly attacks" killed 40 civilians, including seven women and 15 children, and that 13 military service members had died in operations.

India has said that 15 civilians and five soldiers died.

Despite mutual claims on initial violations, the ceasefire still appeared to be holding on Wednesday.

Agence France-Presse