Beating Retreat ceremony resumes at Punjab borders after 12-day suspension, public entry from May 21
CHANDIGARH: After twelve days, the Beating Retreat ceremony resumed at all three Joint Check Posts (JCPs) of the Punjab Frontier, Attari in Amritsar, Hussainiwala in Ferozepur, and Sadqi in Fazilka.
The ceremony will be held exclusively for media personnel today, while the public will be allowed to attend starting from May 21. The decision to scale down the ceremony was taken last month.
The Border Security Force (BSF) had halted the retreat ceremony at the Attari border on May 8 following Operation Sindoor, a military response to the tragic April 22 Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives.
However, the ceremony, resuming today, will be curtailed as BSF troops will not shake hands with Pakistan Rangers, and the gates will not be opened during the flag-lowering process, as declared earlier, said sources.
During the suspension of the ceremony, the flag-lowering continued without public attendance. The absence of spectators had impacted the local economy, which is reliant on tourism.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
41 minutes ago
- News18
‘India Introduced Non-Violence To World But…': PM Modi's Veiled Dig At Pakistan
Last Updated: PM Modi reminded that India was preaching non-violence at a time when the world used violence to quell violence. Making a veiled reference to Pakistan without naming the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that India introduced the world to non-violence, but it would not allow anyone to meddle in the peace. He said that India advocated 'ahimsa" at a time when the world used violence to quell violence for thousands of years. His remarks came while addressing the centenary celebrations of Jain spiritual leader Acharya Vidyanand Ji Maharaj in the national capital. 'Jo humein chhedega (those who tease us)…" PM Modi said, leaving the sentence incomplete and drawing massive cheers from the audience. However, he did not dwell any further on the issue. 'Even if you did not say it in words, you were perhaps conveying your blessings for Operation Sindoor," he said, referring to the preceding speech of a Jain seer. Speaking at the Centenary Celebrations of Acharya Vidyanand Ji Maharaj. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 28, 2025 On May 7, India had launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians on April 22. In its precision strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, India killed over 100 terrorists. PM Modi emphasised that India is a nation where service and humanity lie at the heart of its values. 'At a time when violence was being countered with more violence for centuries, India introduced the world to the strength of ahimsa (non-violence)," he said. 'India is the world's oldest living civilisation. We have endured for thousands of years because our ideas are timeless, our thinking is timeless, and our philosophy is timeless," he added. The Prime Minister said that the foundation of India's timeless philosophy lies in the teachings of its saints, seers, mahants, and acharyas. He was referring to Acharya Vidyanand Ji Maharaj, the spiritual leader credited with reviving and restoring ancient Jain temples across the country and promoting education, particularly in Prakrit, Jain philosophy, and classical languages. PM Modi also noted that the acharya's ideals have influenced the government's welfare programmes. 'Schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, and others reflect a spirit of service towards the most disadvantaged sections of society," he said.
Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Time of India
Policy of forbearance over, terrorists will be hit hard: Def secy on India's new normal
New Delhi: Underlining the country's "new normal" in dealing with terrorism, Defence Secretary R K Singh on Saturday said the "policy of forbearance that was practised for decades" is over and terrorists will be hit hard, at a time and place of India's choosing. During an interaction at an event here, Singh also said Pakistan "treats them (terrorists) as their assets" and mourns for them when they are hit -- a reference to the presence of many Pakistani army personnel at a funeral of some of those killed in strikes on terror infrastructure under Operation Sindoor . "It confirms and validates our assessment all along that these people are deliberately cultivated for cross-border terrorism in India, as an instrument of state policy," Singh said. The defence secretary was asked about the sequence of events during the recent four-day military confrontation between India and Pakistan that was eventually halted after the two sides arrived at an understanding on May 10, leading to a cessation of hostilities. The Pakistani military side came forward on May 9, "asking for a call from the DGMO, which they had earlier refused even to take", Singh said, in response to a query. Live Events "And it was clear at that stage that they were in the process of capitulating essentially. And this was in the morning of May 9. So even before the announcement was made (on May 10), we all knew that this was going to happen. And this is what happened. The DGMO spoke and they essentially asked for a ceasefire," he added. The defence secretary was speaking at a session hosted at the "CNN News 18 Town Hall: The Defence Edition". India launched Operation Sindoor early on May 7 in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack and conducted precision strikes on several terror-infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Pakistani military, in retaliation, targeted Indian military installations and civilian areas, with India conducting counter-offensives against it and damaging several key air bases in the neighbouring country, including the Noor Khan and Rahim Yar Khan bases. The precision strikes on nine locations on May 7 "killed, to our assessment, almost 100 terrorists and their followers, whether some of the people had left (the buildings) is a different matter", Singh said. Besides hitting them in terms of casualty, the intent was to demolish their headquarters, send a message to those terror outfits who have a long lineage in terms of terror activities in India, he said. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it has been decided that people will "no longer allow them (terrorists) necessarily to choose the time and place", Singh said. "Yes, they will have their element of surprise always -- in terms of hitting, finding some innocent targets, soft targets. The intent is that thereafter, they should know that we will respond, but they should not know how and the time and place (of the response)," the defence secretary added. "And the nuclear umbrella is not going to deter us," he emphasised. There will be a "policy of zero tolerance", the hits will be on the headquarters and the leaders, not only on the foot soldiers. This is the "new normal" that the prime minister has made very clear and in the future, therefore, "the element of surprise will not only be with them, it will be with us also", Singh said. "We will sort of decide the script of what ensues thereafter once they try to hit some soft targets in India," he warned. "That expectation.... That the policy of forbearance that was practised for decades, the new normal is that the forbearance is over, we will hit them hard, at a time and place of our own choosing. And the level of escalation will be determined by our leadership. And it will definitely not be turning the other cheek," Singh said.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Don't Be Surprised If India Repeats Action Upon Provocation: Shashi Tharoor
Ahmedabad: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion, he also said that on the 50th anniversary of Emergency, politicians should dedicate themselves afresh to the Constitution and the values of our founding fathers rather than scoring political points. Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to tell their hosts that India acted with restraint and responsibility, Tharoor said during a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association. Even Colombia, which had issued a statement earlier expressing condolences for those killed in Pakistan, withdrew it, he noted. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self-defence, but they actually commended the restrained manner of our response, that we could have been much I would say that, by and large, they were all very understanding," said the Congress leader. "But I would usually end by conveying that they should not be surprised that if this (terrorist attack) happens again, we too would do this again, and we wanted their understanding in advance. And I believe we left everybody in no doubt about our feelings and our intentions," he added. India signaled from the start that it was not interested in protracted conflict or starting a war, Tharoor further said. "What we were interested in was retribution against terrorists, and we only hit terrorist camps, terrorist facilities, terrorist bases. And from our point of view, that was it," he later told media persons at the venue. India's position was that "if Pakistan hits, we hit back, if it stops, we stop, so that the day they signaled that they would stop, India was willing to stop from the very start, and no one needed to persuade India to stop. "That's what the prime minister has also said. On the other hand, perhaps Pakistan needed persuasion, we don't know what the Americans may have said to Pakistan. If Pakistanis feel they stopped because Americans wanted them to, good for them, that's not a problem for us," he added. The delegation to five countries led by Tharoor was one of the seven multi-party delegations India dispatched to 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to highlight Pakistan's links to terrorism. Speaking about the Emergency imposed by the erstwhile Congress government 50 years ago, Tharoor said everyone is very clear that it was "a bad period in our history because of a lot of suspensions (of liberties)," and then prime minister Indira Gandhi herself called elections and gracefully accepted their outcome. "I think all of us should use this anniversary to re-dedicate ourselves to the Constitution, to the values of freedom, to the values that our founders fought for and established," he said, adding, "I hope everyone uses this 50th anniversary not to play political games and score political points, but rather to re-dedicate ourselves to those ideals..." On his recent Russia visit, Tharoor said it was an opportunity to touch base with his counterparts and meet his "old friend", Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "By and large our message (on Operation Sindoor) has been consistent. Fortunately the delegation sent by our government had already been there and met these people, so my task was not a difficult one to reinforce the message," he said. Russia has been India's old and trusted friend and it is always good to maintain these relationships, the Congress leader added. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
