Pahalgam terror attack: Beating Retreat at Attari Border likely to be suspended
BSF officials on the ground said they are yet to receive any communication from the Delhi headquarters will be cancelled
The Beating Retreat ceremony of the Border Security Force (BSF) at the Attari Border is likely to be suspended on Thursday, the first day after the government announced the closure of the integrated check post (ICP) at the border in Punjab with immediate effect.
BSF officials on the ground said they are yet to receive any communication from the Delhi headquarters even as most believe that the ceremony, which draws several thousand people to the Attari-Wagah border every afternoon, will be cancelled.
To be sure, the government is yet to issue any order.
BSF officials on the ground said that with the ICP only open for those with valid endorsements enabling them to return before May 1, 2025, the inflow of tourists could also be curbed.
“We are also waiting for the order. This decision will be taken at the level of the government and then communicated to the BSF. We have been told that an order will be issued shortly,” one official, who asked not to be named, said.
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A second officer from the Amritsar district administration said they too are yet to receive any formal orders about the ceremony or the movement of tourists towards Attari.
Every afternoon, several thousand tourists drive from nearby Amritsar city and other parts to visit the border and attend the joint beating retreat ceremony of the BSF and Pakistan Rangers in the evening. Pakistan citizens too come to their side of the border at Wagah.
On Wednesday evening, India announced a raft of punitive diplomatic measures against Pakistan, such as shutting the Attari integrated check post, suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading bilateral ties, as it hit back at Islamabad over the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists.
The retaliatory measures were discussed at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has resolved that perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice and their sponsors held to account.