Attari-Wagah post echoes with patriotic chants again

After 10 days, spectator galleries on the Indian side of the Attari-Wagah border check post reverberated with patriotic chants during the evening retreat ceremony on Sunday.

Although the district administration on Friday lifted the ban on entry of general public to attend the ceremony, the Border Security Force (BSF) did not allow visitors through on Saturday, citing absence of any official communication in this regard.

Even as the communication failed to reach on Sunday, a BSF officer said they decided to allow the visitors.

As a large number of people reached the border post to attend the ceremony this Sunday, it was once again an occasion for spectators on both sides to put up a show of strength with chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Jive jive Pakistan’. However, no untoward incident was witnessed as on last Sunday.

The ban that was imposed after the Indian Army’s surgical strikes across the Line of Control on September 29 was lifted last Sunday (October 2) for a small gathering, but imposed again after a miscreant from Pakistan side threw a stone at the Indian gallery.

On a few seats lying empty in the visitors’ gallery during the ceremony, a BSF jawan said: “It is just the first day that visitors have been allowed after the ban was lifted. In a day or two, not even a single seat will be left vacant. The patriotic fervour will only go up at the ceremony in coming days.”

First Published: Oct 09, 2016 19:50 IST