Skip to main content

Owner rejects Indian claim of ‘spy’ pigeon’s capture

SIALKOT: After the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) claimed they had captured another “Pakistani spy pigeon”, a Pakistani villager refuted the allegation, saying he is the owner of the pigeon.

Habibullah, a resident of Bagga-Shakargarh village, situated along the Sialkot Working Boundary, said he was the owner of this pigeon recently “arrested” by India.

He said the second pigeon of the pair was with him. “Yes, this is my pet pigeon as it can never be a spy or a terrorist,” he said.

On Monday, Indian news outlets reported that a pigeon “with a prominent pink patch and a tag on its leg” was logged at a police station as a “suspected Pakistani spy”. The reports said the pigeon was suspected of being part of an “espionage attempt from Pakistan” and that an investigation has been launched into the matter.

According to the reports, police records showed the pigeon flew into the house of a woman in the Chadwal area, who caught it and handed it over to the BSF. The latter then handed it over to police for further investigation.

Police quoted the woman as saying the pigeon had a ring around its foot that had numbers inscribed on it.

However, Habibullah said he had a passion for pigeons and owned a dozen. He said that on Eid he flew several pigeons to celebrate the occasion in his village.

He said his village was about 4km from Indian territory, adding that he had fixed rings around the feet of his pigeons. The villager said he had specially gotten his mobile number inscribed on the rings.

He said the pigeon was an innocent pet bird and was a symbol of peace, love and tolerance.

Habibullah said displaying mental aggression, the Indians had declared his pigeon a Pakistani spy.

The villager urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to return the pigeon to Pakistan with “full protocol and due respect”. He said India should avoid such blame games and refrain from victimising innocent birds. He also urged the world to take notice of India’s “highhandedness”.

Meanwhile, residents of Bagga protested against the arrest of the pet and raised slogans against New Delhi.

This is not the first time a pigeon has been accused of spying on India for Pakistan. In 2015, a pigeon was captured by Indian forces for crossing over into India.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2020



from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/2XxRzj9
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Today’s outlook: Sindh CM discusses reopening markets with PM Khan

Here are some of the stories we are expecting to follow today (Thursday): Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah will take Prime Minister Imran Khan into confidence over reopening shops and markets across the province. The reopened markets will have to follow SOPs. Sindh Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah will discuss SOPs with transporters for resuming public transport in the coming days. The meeting will be held at the Sindh Assembly building at 1:30pm. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority has proposed a price cut of Rs20.68 per litre for petrol in its summary. Imam-e-Kaaba Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais has said Masjid Al Haram and Masjid Al Nabawi will be reopened for worshipers soon. He said the Kaaba is being sterilised using latest technologies. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will head various meetings during his visit to Bahawalpur. As of Thursday, Pakistan has reported more than 15,500 confirmed coronavirus cases. ICYMI: An amendment to the National Accountability Or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Today’s outlook: Federal Cabinet discusses COVID-19, Islamabad eases lockdown

Here are some of the news stories we are expecting to follow today (Tuesday): Prime Minister Imran Khan will chair a meeting of the Federal Cabinet in Islamabad to discuss the current situation in the country because of the novel coronavirus. The Cabinet will approve decisions made in the last Economic Coordination Committee meeting along with a relief package for journalists. The Islamabad High Court will hear a case pertaining to giving relief to textile mills in paying their electricity bills. The court had asked the mill owners to ensure a guarantee that they’ll not lay off any daily wage worker. The Sindh government has resumed operations of 153 more factories. They have directed them to follow all SOPs. The Islamabad administration has eased the lockdown. Hiking trails and parks across the federal capital have been reopened for the public. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He is the second politician from Sindh, after Education Minis...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rouhani calls Imran, discusses resumption of trade

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran on Wednesday discussed full resumption of bilateral trade, which was halted last month because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The two sides stressed the need to reactivate borders and border markets and strengthen trade ties by following health guidelines,” a statement issued by the Iranian presidency on the telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Dr Hassan Rouhani said. President Rouhani had called the prime minister for Ramazan greetings. Border trade between the two countries was suspended after a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), held on March 13, decided to close all borders because of the pandemic. Islamabad partially relaxed the restrictions on April 21, allowing the import of certain food items and provision of petrol and diesel to the border areas. Cargo traffic from Iran was allowed for three days every week. Cargo movement between the two countries takes place through five border crossings — Taftan...
Post a Comment
Read more