Stop Wagah ceremony, its not military parade but clownery, say some Indians
Pomp, splendour, colour and stomping movements -- these were part of the Retreat Ceremony, popularly referred to as the Beating Retreat ceremony at the India-Pakistan, Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar. Crowds throng the Indian side and the spirit of patriotism runs high. However, the ceremony, considered an unnecessary display by some, has come under frequent criticism, but none like after the dastardly Pahalgam attacks in which 26 people were killed. As India took multiple diplomatic measures to further reduce its ties with Pakistan, the Border Security Force (BSF) has "scaled down" the ceremony. Now, several Indians, including Army veterans, geostrategic experts and politicians, are calling for the Retreat Ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border to be stopped altogether. advertisementIndia announced on April 23 that the integrated Attari-Wagah checkpost would be closed with immediate effect. The BSF on April 24 said it had "scaled down" the Retreat Ceremony or Beating Retreat."In the wake of the recent tragic attack in Pahalgam, a calibrated decision has been taken to scale down the ceremonial display during the Retreat Ceremony at Attari, Hussainiwala and Sadki in Punjab," BSF's Punjab Frontier posted on X.
India and Pakistan's paramilitary forces, the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers, respectively, have engaged in the ceremony since 1959.Closing down of the Attari-Wagah border was part of India's five specific retaliatory measures against Pakistan taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday.The decisions included the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches and the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960.advertisementThe Attari-Wagah border was the only operational land border crossing between India and Pakistan.DRAMA, CLOWNERY, UNNECESSARY SHOWMANSHIP, SAY SOME INDIANSBut many Indians are now demanding an end to the "drama" of the Retreat Ceremony, referred to as the Wagah Beating Retreat ceremony in popular parlance.This is what they are saying."This 'nautanki' must stop. This is not a military parade. Beating the Retreat is a very solemn ceremony. Let's not call this drama the Beating Retreat. Jai Hind," wrote Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon (Retired)."I mean most of these things should have been done long ago. Why do we have that unseemly dance at the border? Does it behove a country like India to have such cringe ceremonies," asked Sushant Sareen, a geo-strategic expert and senior research fellow at Observer Research Foundation (ORF).An influencer on X even called the ceremony "clownery"."When you visit the Wagah-Attari border for the first time, the Beating Retreat ceremony almost feels like a scene from a Hindi movie. In hindsight, you realize that truth is stranger than fiction and that this is pure clownery."Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi suggested the discontinuation of the ceremony among other punitive steps.advertisement"Stop the Beating Retreat ceremony at the India-Aatankistan border. Stop the release of any movie starring Aatankistani actors. Stop any of these cricket matches that we have with Aatankistan — BCCI, it is high time to stand up for the nation over your profits," said Chaturvedi, a Shiv Sena (UBT) MP."This Beating Retreat ceremony at the Wagah Border should be stopped. There's no need for celebration or showmanship at a border where tension and loss have existed for decades. No ceremony, no display — just silence and dignity," commented X user Vidit Sharma.As the BSF said it had "scaled down" the Retreat Ceremony, gates weren't opened and there were no handshakes with Pakistani Rangers. The crowd at the Attari-Wagah check gate was thin too.The Retreat Ceremony is a decades-old custom, which millions of people have witnessed. Though it has been suspended after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, there is now a growing demand for it to be discontinued in perpetuity.Must Watch
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