Beating Retreat Ceremony Resumes at India-Pakistan Border After Ceasefire, But Without Handshake

GG News Bureau
Chandigarh, 20th May: After a 10-day ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the Border Security Force (BSF) is set to resume the Beating Retreat ceremony on Tuesday evening in a scaled-down version at the Attari-Wagah, Hussainiwala, and Fazilka borders in Punjab.

The ceremonial resumption comes following a 12-day pause amid military tensions between the two nations.

According to officials quoted by IANS, the ceremony will be conducted without the traditional handshake between armed personnel on either side or the symbolic opening of the border gates. However, spectators will still be allowed to attend, preserving a key element of public engagement.

The Beating Retreat ceremony, initiated in 1959, features a choreographed military drill and the simultaneous lowering of national flags by both countries just before dusk. Held near Amritsar at the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post—30 km from Amritsar and 22 km from Lahore—the event is typically viewed by thousands of spectators, with the stadium there accommodating nearly 25,000 people.

While the border guards on both sides usually exchange sweets during major festivals like Diwali, Eid, and national holidays, these traditions have been interrupted during periods of heightened tensions. Notably, India skipped the sweet exchange post-2016 surgical strikes and also suspended the ceremony in 2019 due to frequent ceasefire violations. The gallery was previously closed to the public in March 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The scaled-down format of Tuesday’s ceremony underscores continued diplomatic caution despite the ceasefire, with symbolism replacing the usual overt gestures of goodwill.