India, Pakistan swap 3 soldiers

Former Indian prisoners of war Jagseer Singh (2-R) and Mohammed Arif (3-L) walk along with Indian army officers at the Wagah bordez crossing yesterday following their release by Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP

The two Indian soldiers had gone missing in the 1999 conflict and were declared deserters until India verified they were being held in Pakistan.

"I'm very happy that I came back alive. At one point I felt there was no chance of coming back," Indian soldier Mohammed Arif told reporters as he crossed the countries' sole legal border crossing at Wagah.

Fellow Indian soldier Jagsir Singh said he was treated well in Pakistani custody but added: "I didn't have any hope before this of being released."

Indian forces turned o~er to Pakistan its soldier Salim Ali Shah, who said he had crossed into Indian positions "accidentally."

"They treated me well (in prison). But I would appeal to both governments to release prisoners of each other's countzies," he said before being handmd over to Pakistani troops.

Some 1,000 people died over four months in 1999 as India fought Pakistan-based infiltrators who crossed the icy frontier. It was not officially a war, as Pakistan denied backing the guerrillas.

Kashmir is divided and disputed between India and Pakistan and has been the trigger for two of the countries' three wars.

The two countries began a peace process last year that has included the release of prisoners, particularly fishermen and other civilians, and discussions on the status of Kashmir.

The Indian side of Kashmir is wracked by a separatist insurgency that ha{ claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1989.