Published: March 23, 2025
Updated: 6 hours ago
By Tariq Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD: On Saturday, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) authorities transferred the bodies of a young couple to Indian authorities at Kaman Bridge in the Chakothi-Uri sector. The deceased, 23-year-old Yasir Hussain and 20-year-old Asia Bano, reportedly jumped into the Jhelum River on March 5 in Uri after their families opposed their plans to marry.
Bano’s body was recovered from Lower Chattar, a neighborhood of Muzaffarabad, while Hussain’s body was found along the riverbank in Chinari, about 12 kilometers from the Chakothi-Uri crossing. Photographs shared by police show Hussain’s body entangled in ropes, which had initially been spotted near Kaman Bridge on the Indian side on Thursday afternoon.
Rescue teams attempted to retrieve it using ropes, but strong river currents made the effort unsuccessful. The body eventually drifted to the AJK side, where Chinari police recovered it.
After completing procedural formalities, Hattian Bala’s Assistant Commissioner Kamran Khan and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Raja Ilyas formally handed over the bodies to Indian authorities between 11:50 AM and 12:30 PM, with military officials from both sides in attendance.
Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2025