India Scales Down Border Retreat Ceremonies Amid Heightened Tensions with Pakistan

• Apr 25, 2025

During a nearly 30-minute ceremony, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and Pakistan Rangers lowered their respective national flags without the customary handshake, as the gates between the two countries remained closed.

Sources revealed that India had made a calibrated decision to tone down the ceremonial displays at three key border points — Attari, Hussainiwala, and Sadqi. The BSF confirmed the main change: the traditional handshake between the Indian and Pakistani commanders was suspended, and the gates would remain closed throughout the ceremony.

The daily military drill between the BSF and Pakistan Rangers at the Attari-Wagah border has been a tradition since 1959. On Thursday, uncertainty loomed over whether the ceremony at Attari would proceed, but BSF personnel allowed tourist entry later in the afternoon.

Visitors, like Om Prakash Punia from Churu, Rajasthan, reported a strong sense of patriotism among Indian spectators, who raised slogans to express their anger over the recent terror attack. Punia noted that the Pakistan gallery was almost empty.

Meanwhile, the Land Port Authority of India, which manages the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, halted the movement of Afghan cargo trucks for the day. While the ICP had received 17 trucks on April 23 and 31 on April 22 — mostly carrying dry fruits, spices, herbs, and fresh fruits — normal daily traffic ranges from 15 to 20 truckloads.

The Attari ICP recorded its highest-ever imports worth over ₹3,700 crore during the 2023–24 financial year, since its inception 12 years ago. Presently, the ICP is authorized to handle only imports from Afghanistan via Pakistan's transit corridor.

Following the Cabinet Committee on Security's (CCS) decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals and advise Indian citizens in Pakistan to return, 133 individuals crossed the border via the joint check-post on Thursday. Of these, 105 Indians returned home while 28 Pakistani nationals crossed back into their country.

Among those returning were Sheikh Sadar Ahmad from Karachi and Rajesh Kumar from Kashmor, who had to cut short their visits. Both condemned the terror attack, called for a fair investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice, and expressed hope for improved relations between the neighboring nations.