Body of missing Indian woman found in GB’s Kharmang district: official

The body of a 28-year-old woman, who had gone missing in the Indian-controlled area of Kargil, was found in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Kharmang district on Wednesday, according to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Jaffar.

DC Jaffar told Dawn.com that the woman’s body was retrieved from the Kargil river today and buried in Kharmang.

He said the body could be returned to India — after contact between the foreign ministries of the countries — once the woman’s identity was confirmed through DNA testing.

Meanwhile, Qasim, a resident of Kharmang, said the funeral prayer of the woman had been offered and the burial was performed according to Islamic rituals.

Earlier, a pamphlet featuring the image of the woman was circulated by the Kargil police station from the Indian side. The pamphlet was also sent to the GB administration for the recovery of the body.

The pamphlet stated that the woman, identified as Belqees Banoo, was five feet tall and clad in green clothes along with a red sweater. It added that she went missing from her home in Akchamal on July 15.

Baltistan Awami Action Committee Chairman Najaf Ali, in a statement, said that due to the closure of the old Skardu-Kargil road, people in the surrounding areas of the Line of Control faced severe difficulties in such situations. He called for the re-establishment of historical routes to facilitate locals in both countries.