DAWN reported that Habibullah, a resident of Bagga-Shakargarh village, situated along the Sialkot Working Boundary, said that he was the owner of this pigeon recently captured by the Indian forces. “Yes, this is my pet pigeon as it can never be a spy or a terrorist. The second pigeon of the pair is still in my possession,” he said.
Habibullah said that on Eid, he flew several pigeons to celebrate the occasion in his village. He said that 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.
“My pigeon is an innocent pet bird and is a symbol of peace, love and tolerance. I urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to return the pigeon to Pakistan with full protocol and due respect,” the villager told the newspaper.
On Monday, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that Indian authorities in the Kathua district of Jammu & Kashmir captured a ‘Pakistan spy pigeon’. The Indian officials said that the pigeon may have been trained by Pakistani security agencies. Police sources were quoted in the Indian media as saying that there was a ring around the bid’s leg with some numbers on it – which they suspect to be a coded message.
This is not the first time a pigeon has been accused of spying on India for Pakistan. In 2015, a pigeon was ‘arrested’ by Indian forces for crossing over into India.