Surgical strike on Pakistan: BSF cancels beating retreat ceremony at Wagah

Along with the Border Security Force's decision to cancel the beating retreat ceremony at Wagah, the BSF has also ensured the evacuation of villages along Punjab's border with Pakistan as a preventive measure.

Punjab. September 29: As part of preventive measures against the continuously escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the Border Security Force has announced several announcements. The most symbolic of the decisions taken by the Border Security Force  is the cancellation of the beating retreat ceremony at Wagah. The cancellation of the ceremony is for now, just for today.

The announcement by the BSF came after the Indian Army on Thursday announced that it had  conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir after crossing the Line of Control (LoC), said Lieutenant General DGMO Ranbir Singh. According to the DGMO, the motive behind the operation was to hit out terrorists who were planning to infiltrate into Indian territory and were also planning to attack metros in India. During the operation, a significant number of terrorists and their supporters died while there were no Indian casualties, DGMO informed. (ALSO READ: ‘Don’t mistake silence for weakness’: Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif condemns surgical strikes by Indian Army along LoC)

Along with the Border Security Force’s decision to cancel the beating retreat ceremony at Wagah, the BSF has also ensured the evacuation of villages along Punjab’s border with Pakistan as a preventive measure against escalation. Schools all along the border belt were also ordered to remain closed following the escalation of tension along the LoC in Jammu & Kashmir. However, there is a need to enforce the fact that the evacuation of the villages and the other measures taken by the BSF are purely preventive in nature and there is no immediate danger of all-out war.

The beating retreat ceremony at Wagah that has been cancelled is an everyday affair along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab. The Wagah ceremony occurs near the Hussainwala National Martyrs Memorial every day since 1959. The ceremony is infamous world-over for the “display of aggression” by both sides.