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Background: TWO SOLDIERS OF THE 104TH BATTALION OF THE INDIAN BORDER SECURITY FORCE WERE CAPTURED BY THE PAKISTANI ARMY ON APRIL 25 NEAR GOLABGANI, IN THE SYLHET DISTRICT OF EAST PAKISTAN. TWO DAYS LATER, (THURSDAY, APRIL 27) THE TWO MEN AND THE ARMS THAT WERE CAPTURED WITH THEM WERE SHOWN TO THE PRESS.

THE TWO MEN, L/NK KAMLAPATI SINGH AND SEPOY RAM PERVEZ SHARMA, ARE BOTH IN THEIR EARLY TWENTIES. THEY ARE SAID TO HAVE JOINED THE BORDER SECURITY FORCE TOGETHER IN JULY 1968 AND HAVE SERVED IN THE SAME COMPANY SINCE THEN. ACCORDING TO THE PAKISTANI OFFICIAL REPORT, THEY ARE SAID TO HAVE DECLARED THAT AFTER BEING STATIONED IN HISAR THEY WERE MOVED BY TRAIN TO DELHI ON MARCH 31, THEN AIRLIFTED TO AGARTALA AND ON BY ROAD TO THE BORDER TOWN OF GOKAL NAGAR. ON APRIL 22 THEY ARE SAID TO HAVE CROSSED THE ASSAM-EAST PAKISTAN BORDER AND DUG IN TO POSITIONS NEAR GOLABGANI, SOME 14 MILES (22 1/2 KILOMETRES) INSIDE PAKISTANI TERRITORY.

INITIALLY, THEY ARE SAID TO HAVE BEEN BRIEFED THAT THEIR MAIN TASK WAS TO SUPPORT THE "BANGLA DESH ARMY" - AND THEY WERE JOINED BY SOME 100 ARMED EAST PAKISTANIS TO JOINTLY PREPARE AN ATTACK AGAINST THE PAKISTAN GOVERNMENT FORCES. BUT, BEFORE THE PLAN WAS ABLE TO BE PUT IN TO OPERATION, THEY WERE SURROUNDED BY GOVERNMENT TROOPS AND, ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL REPORT, EVERYONE WAS KILLED EXCEPT THE TWO MEN WHO WERE CAPTURED.

RELATIONS BETWEEN THE INDIAN AND PAKISTANI GOVERNMENTS ARE VERY STRAINED - AND TODAY (FRIDAY) NEGOTIATIONS ARE CONTINUING TO PUT INTO EFFECT THE REPATRIATION OF THEIR DIPLOMATIC STAFFS FROM CALCUTTA AND DACCA. THESE MOVES HAVE FOLLOWED AFTER THE HIGH COMMISSIONS IN THE TWO CITIES WERE CLOSED ON MONDAY - AND INDIAN DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER SEN GUPTA VIRTUALLY KEPT UNDER HOUSE DETENTION IN DACCA.