The rush to return after ‘Friendship ended’
THE breakdown of ties between Pakistan and India could also be felt at the main border crossing between the two countries, as troops from both sides skipped their traditional handshakes and the ‘Friendship Gate’ mostly remained shut, even as a scaled-down beating the retreat ceremony was held on Sunday evening.
But despite this, a number of citizens were seen crossing the border back into Pakistan while preparations for the ceremony were underway, something of an anomaly as crossings usually end well before the retreat ceremony begins.
Following the cancellation of visas on both sides, Indian and Pakistani nationals have thronged the Attari-Wagah crossing to return to their respective countries before May 1.
Given the glut, authorities on both sides have allowed people to cross over, in some cases even moments before the final ceremony begins and the gates are closed for the day.
Emotions run high during ‘beating the retreat’ ceremony; glut witnessed at border ahead of May 1 deadline for expiry of visas
In the last four days, more than 800 Indians have left Pakistan, while about 700 Pakistanis have returned from India.
On Sunday alone, 236 Pakistanis returned home and 115 Indians crossed into their homeland.
The Rangers and Indian security forces were thoroughly checking their documents before allowing them to proceed with immigration.
The visitors arriving from India, however, are not allowed to interact with the media.
In the aftermath of the attack in held Kashmir, the tension among the crowds is palpable, with people seated in the viewing pavilions — located on both sides of the border — turning up to show loyalty and support for their respective countries.
Engrossed in their bid to outmatch each other amid the din of music and sloganeering, most the visitors on the Pakistani side did not seem fazed by the lack of space — due to ongoing construction work at the viewing pavilion.
For most of them, it was the experience of being present at the ceremony that took primacy.
The retreat ceremony is held at Wagah-Attari every evening, just before sunset. It is jointly performed by Pakistan’s Punjab Rangers and India’s Border Security Force.
The drill involves synchronised stomps, high-kicks, and theatrical standoffs between soldiers and ends with a coordinated lowering of the flags and a handshake between soldiers.
Over recent days, Pakistan and India have downgraded ties, traded fire at the Line of Control and suspended trade following the Pahalgam shooting, which claimed the lives of over two dozen tourists.
With India baying for blood following the terror attack and Pakistan paying back in the same coin, the public present at the Wagah ceremony were visibly roused.
“Today, I have come to witness the parade, especially to see the spirit of our soldiers… I am happy to see not only that the soldiers have high spirits but the public present here is backing up the armed forces in the face of any possible misadventure by India,” Sikandar Sultan, who was visiting from Lahore, said.
Ali Asad, who was accompanied by friends, said this was not his first time visiting the border for this ceremony.
“…a friend of mine who visited yesterday here told me that it is going on as usual, rather more passionately. I had been here before, but today I enjoyed it more because of the fervent involvement of the fellow visitors,” he said.
“India should learn from the past and come out of the war mentality. It should talk to Pakistan to resolve the issues between the two countries, and that is the only feasible solution,” he told Dawn.
On the other side of the border, Indians were as ardent. “It just fills you with passion and patriotic pride”, Simarjeet Singh, 17, from the nearby Indian city of Amritsar, told AFP news agency.
“There were people from all over who looked and dressed different but were cheering and screaming at the same time — for our country and the soldiers,” Mr Singh said, who came with his friends from college.
KT Ramesh, 57, from Kozhikode in the southern state of Kerala, told AFP that even the scaled-down ceremony “was worth it”. “There was no shortage of passion among our people,” he said.
He said that he’d “seen anger” about the attack in Kashmir “in whoever I spoke with, from our hotel staff to the taxi driver and other tourists here”.
“We don’t like a war but this time we must teach them a lesson,” he told AFP.
Interestingly, some foreigners were also present at the ceremony on both sides.
With input from AFP news agency
Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2025
Header image: Rangers personnel examine the documents of a man crossing back from India moments before the closing ceremony; while (right) a BSF officer checks the passport of Pakistani citizens as they prepare to leave India. — Photo by the writer / Reuters