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| The Beating Retreat ceremony ironically started in 1959 as a goodwill gesture, but acquired aggressive tones gradually (video below) |
June 24, 2016, NewsCrunch
The aggressive beating retreat ceremony that involves staging mock fight between Indian and Pakistani soldiers got real recently at the Hussainwala border in Punjab.
The Hussainwala border, where Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were cremated, was a major transit point betweenIndia and Pakistan . Though it was shut after the Wagah crossing was opened, the Indian Border Security Force men and Pakistan Rangers still take part in a daily Beating Retreat ceremony.
A video, which was uploaded on YouTube early this month, shows that the aggressive overtures between two Indian and Pakistani soldiers led to a bit of jostling, with both the men making physical contact.
The video is grainy and the part of the ceremony in which the flags of both the countries are held up seem to have triggered the fight.
Every day at sunset the flags of both the countries are lowered ceremonially, folded and held up by soldiers in display.
In the video, both the Indian and Pakistani soldiers, who are seen standing too close for comfort, try to raise their arms higher. As they come into contact, they push each other but are quickly separated by others.
Though a major tourist draw, many are concerned that the theatrical display of aggression between the two countries may actually trigger a real fight.
The Beating Retreat ceremony ironically started in 1959 as a goodwill gesture, but acquired aggressive tones gradually.
In 2010, Major General Yaqub Ali Khan of the Pakistan Rangers and Director General Raman Srivastava of Indian Border Security Force agreed to do away with angry eyeball-to-eyeball exchange, thumping of boots and other aggressive gestures from the flag-lowering parade.
But that seem to have and little impact and Beating Retreat ceremony continues as before.
The aggressive beating retreat ceremony that involves staging mock fight between Indian and Pakistani soldiers got real recently at the Hussainwala border in Punjab.
The Hussainwala border, where Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were cremated, was a major transit point between
A video, which was uploaded on YouTube early this month, shows that the aggressive overtures between two Indian and Pakistani soldiers led to a bit of jostling, with both the men making physical contact.
The video is grainy and the part of the ceremony in which the flags of both the countries are held up seem to have triggered the fight.
Every day at sunset the flags of both the countries are lowered ceremonially, folded and held up by soldiers in display.
In the video, both the Indian and Pakistani soldiers, who are seen standing too close for comfort, try to raise their arms higher. As they come into contact, they push each other but are quickly separated by others.
Though a major tourist draw, many are concerned that the theatrical display of aggression between the two countries may actually trigger a real fight.
The Beating Retreat ceremony ironically started in 1959 as a goodwill gesture, but acquired aggressive tones gradually.
In 2010, Major General Yaqub Ali Khan of the Pakistan Rangers and Director General Raman Srivastava of Indian Border Security Force agreed to do away with angry eyeball-to-eyeball exchange, thumping of boots and other aggressive gestures from the flag-lowering parade.
But that seem to have and little impact and Beating Retreat ceremony continues as before.