The Border Security Force (BSF) said the flag-lowering retreat ceremony at the three Joint Check Posts at Attari, Hussainiwala and Sadki along Punjab’s Pakistan border will resume from today.
The border ceremony will be accessible to the public from Wednesday, May 21. Today’s ceremony is open only for media persons, PTI reported. It will be altered from before, as BSF troops will not shake hands with Pakistan Rangers. The gates will also remain closed during the flag-lowering process.
PTI reported that the flag was being lowered every day even when the ceremony was closed to the public.
The ceremony was “scaled down” last month after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed at least 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. The BSF on May 8, after the retaliatory Operation Sindoor was initiated, stopped public entry for this event at these three locations, citing “public safety”, PTI reported.
On usual days, the ceremony - which happens around sunset - involves beating of loud drums, hand shakes, a military exercise and lowering of the national flags of both India and Pakistan. The guards also exchange sweets on festivals like Eid and Diwali, and events of national importance like Republic and Independence Days.
