India returns body of drowned AJK teen

MUZAFFARABAD: Indian authorities handed over the body of a teenager from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), who had drowned in the Neelum River, to Pakistani officials at a footbridge in Chilyana on Saturday.

Shahzad Manzoor, 18, drowned on July 3 while bathing in the river near Shaikh Bela village, officials said.

Despite efforts by locals, the body couldn’t be traced for 17 days until it was spotted along the left bank of the river in the Keran village of India-held Kashmir.

On July 20, images and videos circulated by AJK residents showed Indian army personnel and residents retrieving a body from the riverbank.

Authorities from both sides, through military channels, subsequently coordinated to establish the boy’s identity and facilitate the repatriation.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2025