Army officials laid floral wreath and paid tributes to slain soldier Narpat Singh at his ancestral village Longasar near Pokhran in Jaisalmer.
Chavan will be first medically examined by the team of
army doctors, said an official posted at Attari.
Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said his ministry and the DGMO had been constantly trying their level best to secure the release of the jawan "who was in Pakistan's custody after he inadvertently crossed the LOC".
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"The External Affairs Ministry was also involved. All efforts were made to secure the release of the soldier and the result is that he has been released today," the Minister said.
"Our DGMO was in touch with his Pakistani counterpart. Last week we were told that he will be released soon," he said.
Pakistani army issued a statement early in the day announcing the handing over of the Indian soldier. It said that the soldier had "deserted" his post across the LoC due to "grievances against his commanders" and "has been convinced to return home".
In a separate statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said, "The decision of the government of Pakistan to return the Indian soldier is based on humanitarian grounds and the commitment to ensure peace and tranquility at the LoC and the Working Boundary.
(REOPENS DEL 18)
The Army in a statement said Chavan crossed over to
Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir from Krishna Ghati sector.
In order to ensure his release the matter was taken up with Pakistani military authorities through the existing hotline and scheduled DGMO level talks.
"The matter has been continuously raised in scheduled DGMO level talks since then. The issue was also taken up diplomatically through our High Commission in Pakistan and Ministry of External Affairs.
"Today at 1 PM, we finally got confirmation by Pakistan military authorities that Chavan would be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah at 3 PM Indian time. The jawan was finally handed over to our representatives at Wagah Crossing Point at approximately 3:45 PM," it said.