Pakistani villager urges India to return 'spy' pigeon

A Pakistani villager has urged Indian Prime Minister to return his pigeon, currently being held in India on charges of spying.

The man, who lives near to the India-Pakistan border, said he flew his pigeons to celebrate Eid festival.

Police said they found the pigeon in India with a ring on one of its legs, inscribed with a code but the Pakistani villager, who claims the arrested pigeon is his, says the code is actually his mobile phone number.

Media in Pakistan's say have identified the man as Habibullah and say he owns a dozen pigeons. He told them his pigeon was a "symbol of peace" and India should stop "victimising innocent birds".

This is not the first time a pigeon flying from Pakistan has landed in trouble with Indian officials.

In May 2015, a white pigeon was arrested after it was spotted by a 14-year-old boy in a village close to the border.

And in October 2016, another pigeon was taken into custody after it was found with a note threatening the Indian prime minister.

The two nations have been rivals for a long time, with the last full war between them taking place in 1971.

Did you know in the days before digital communications, pigeons were a kind of wartime Whatsapp?!

The birds were a super-reliable way to transport messages.

For example, 100,000 carrier pigeons were used as messengers during World War One.

Pigeons were trained to fly home when released, so the troops made sure the pigeons' nests were in places they needed to send messages.