India scales down Retreat ceremony at Attari, Hussainiwala, Sadki
India has taken a calibrated decision to scale down the ceremonial display during the Retreat Ceremony at three points of international border with Pakistan — Attari, Hussainiwala and Sadki in Punjab — in the wake of the deadly Pahalgam attack.
According to the Border Security Force (BSF), the key changes include suspension of the symbolic handshake of the Indian Guard Commander with the Pakistan Guard Commander.
"The gates will now remain closed during the ceremony," the BSF informed.
At least 26 tourists were shot dead while 12 others were injured during a deadly terror in south Kashmir's Pahalgam area on Tuesday.
The BSF stated that the step to scale down the ceremony reflects India's serious concern over cross-border hostilities and reaffirmed that peace and provocation cannot coexist.
Since 1959, the border security forces of India and Pakistan — the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers — have engaged in a daily military drill at the Attari-Wagah border. Though highly ceremonial and intense in presentation, the event has been deeply symbolic and reflected both the longstanding rivalry and a shared cultural heritage between the two nations.
Meanwhile, several Pakistani nationals who were in India have already started returning home through the Attari-Wagah land route in Amritsar.
India had also announced several measures, including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post in view of the cross-border links to the horrific terror attack.
