Indo-Pak beating ‘retreat ceremony’ to resume at Hussainiwala from April 4

Indo-Pak beating ‘retreat ceremony’ to resume at Hussainiwala from April 4

Ferozepur, April 3, 2022: The popular beating Indo-Pak ‘retreat ceremony’ of the Border Security Force (BSF) will resume at the Hussainiwala border from Monday (April 4), for every Indian patriotic civilian, which was stopped due to the pandemic of COVID-19 virus.

Sun starts setting, the weird silence on the Hussainiwala border, 11 km away from Ferozepur, is ruptured by the clattering and thunderclap of heavy boots of the well-dressed in Kahki uniform, Indian BSF Jawans who equalize their counterpart, the sound of Peshawari Chapples of salwar-kurta dressed Pakistani Rangers and both of them match their every movement, motion and step with each other, under the loud commands of their picket commanders for the 40-minute retreat ceremony done for the de-hoisting of the national flags of both countries with full honour and respect on every evening.

Added here,  till 1970 there was no joint parade and retreat ceremony at this check post but one evening, Inspector General BSF, Ashwani Kumar Sharma, called upon both authorities to have a joint retreat ceremony, and since then it has become a tradition, which is very unique in itself.

For the last two years, the audience gallery, which has more than a thousand visitors capacity, at the Hussainiwala JCP has been wearing a deserted look as the BSF had stopped the entry of the public to witness the “Retreat Ceremony” in view of the pandemic.  However, the Pakistan Rangers had allowed it about a year ago but Indian BSF had kept it closed yet at Hussainiwala while it was opened at the Wagha border.

The decision to start the retreat ceremony has been welcomed by one and all as this is the only place in this border town, to take the relatives to witness the event.  Now the visitors will not now feel disheartened to witness the retreat ceremony along with the light-and-sound show and simulated train rail journey up to Lahore, introduced recently installed at the National Martyrs Memorial of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukdev.