CHANDIGARH: After twelve days, the Beating Retreat ceremony resumed at all three Joint Check Posts (JCPs) of the Punjab Frontier, Attari in Amritsar, Hussainiwala in Ferozepur, and Sadqi in Fazilka.
The ceremony will be held exclusively for media personnel today, while the public will be allowed to attend starting from May 21. The decision to scale down the ceremony was taken last month.
The Border Security Force (BSF) had halted the retreat ceremony at the Attari border on May 8 following Operation Sindoor, a military response to the tragic April 22 Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives.
However, the ceremony, resuming today, will be curtailed as BSF troops will not shake hands with Pakistan Rangers, and the gates will not be opened during the flag-lowering process, as declared earlier, said sources.
During the suspension of the ceremony, the flag-lowering continued without public attendance. The absence of spectators had impacted the local economy, which is reliant on tourism.
The resumption of the ceremony is anticipated to rejuvenate these communities and restore a sense of normalcy. As far as the public is concerned, this event is not only a display of precision by paramilitary personnel but also a significant cultural attraction that draws visitors from across the country and abroad.
On May 8, the BSF had stopped public entry to the event at all three locations, citing concerns over public safety. The decision was made a day after the commencement of Operation Sindoor, under which India destroyed nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal had yesterday visited the Shahpur border outpost near Ajnala and met BSF officers and personnel deployed along the border.
He discussed the concerns of local farmers whose land lies beyond the barbed wire. Following the meeting, Dhaliwal announced that the gates would be opened for farmers shortly, allowing them to access their fields without restrictions.
He thanked the BSF personnel on behalf of the state by presenting sweets and fruit baskets to the jawans. He said, “We are proud of our jawans and in future, whenever they will need us, the Punjab government and farmers will always stand with them.”