India, Pakistan tone down Wagah border show

[EjazR]

DAWN.COM | World | India, Pakistan tone down Wagah border show

NEW DELHI: A daily, goose-stepping display of choreographed aggression by soldiers on the India-Pakistan border has been toned down because of knee injuries to the participants, a report said Wednesday.

For years, the military flag-lowering ceremony that takes place every evening at the Wagah border post has drawn crowds of partisan tourists who cheer every hostile strut and stare traded by the border guards on both sides.

Despite the ritualised hostility, the show and the atmosphere surrounding it is one of good-natured rivalry and, according to the Hindustan Times, the two sides have now reached an agreement to take things a little easier.

“We had proposed a lowering of the aggression in the gestures during the daily parade, and subsequently took a unilateral decision to implement that,” a senior Indian Border Security Force officer, Himmat Singh, told the Times.

“Now, the Pakistan Rangers have also agreed to the proposal, and toned down their drill,” Singh said.

The motivation for the change was more medical than diplomatic.

The exaggerated boot-stomping that was a major feature of the ceremony had, Singh said, resulted in guards on both sides suffering “mild-to-severe” damage to joints in the lower half of their bodies, particularly the knees.– AFP

 

[Jag]

Finally , someone is thinking in right direction, one hell of a sensible thing to do.
This show “circus” needs to stop all the way, we can still do some drill in more respectable way without any aggression parade, salute each others flag and exchange some smiles and shake hands etc.

 

[rideto_live]

About time ! I hope they stop it all togather at some point of time

 

[somebozo]

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

It was kinda interesting and cool wanted to see that show in person

 

[Markus]

Indo-Pak border forces will tone down flag-lowering ceremony

Indian and Pakistani border officials today decided to tone down the flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah land border post, an event marked by displays of aggression that have become a major draw for tourists on both sides of the frontier since 1959.

Addressing the media after five-day talks in Lahore on border issues, Border Security Force (BSF) director general Raman Shrivastava and Major General Muhammad Yaqoob Khan of the Pakistan Rangers announced that both sides had decided to end their 'aggressive approach' to the flag-lowering ceremony.

Khan said both sides had decided to 'cool down the process of lowering their flags'.

Both border forces have also decided to exchange information on prisoners and to take steps for their release, he said.

Thousands of people attend the flag-lowering ceremony held every day before sunset at Wagah in India, about 30km east of Lahore.

Border guards from India and Pakistan lower the flags while putting on a theatrical display marked by aggressive gestures and orchestrated boot-stomping.

The 40-minute ritual, which has been performed since 1959, has become a major draw for domestic and foreign tourists on both sides of the border.

Media reports in July had suggested that both sides would tone down displays of aggression, including the boot-stomping, but Pakistani officials had later denied the reports.

During their bi-annual talks, the BSF and Pakistan Rangers officials discussed incidents of unprovoked firing across the border, killing of people who mistakenly cross the frontier, illegal defence constructions, and illegal border crossings and smuggling.

Besides the speedy release and repatriation of prisoners from jails, the two sides agreed to make joint efforts to control smuggling and intelligence-sharing to curb drug trafficking.

Responding to a question, Khan said most issues between the two countries could not be resolved unless the Kashmir issue and differences on sharing river waters were addressed.

Shrivastava said the BSF and Pakistan Rangers officials could only discuss border issues at such meetings and bigger issues were the domain of the governments.

Responding to a question, he ruled out the presence of five heroin factories in India and said heroin is smuggled into India from different countries.

Shrivastava said he had arrived in Pakistan with a message of peace and love and the Pakistani government, people, media and border force had reciprocated these feelings.

Indo-Pak border forces will tone down flag-lowering ceremony - India - DNA

 

[naumananjum]

hmm
if its is medically good then its really a good decision

 

[ajtr]

Flag-lowering ceremony at Wagah border to become history​

The traditionally hostile flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah border post between India and Pakistan will become a relic of the past after almost five decades from Monday as authorities from both sides have agreed to do away with the show-piece event of aggression. The decision was reached in


Lahore, capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, on Saturday after a meeting of visiting Director General of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) Raman Srivastava with Maj. Gen. Yaqub Ali Khan, director general of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab).
"We have decided to end the angry eyeball-to-eyeball exchange, thumping of boots and other aggressive gestures from the flag-lowering parade," said Maj Gen Khan. "I had come to Pakistan to extend a hand of friendship and feel happy that it has been emphatically reciprocated," said Srivastava.

The animated display by the border guards had become synonymous with the parade at Wagah border and was greeted by loud cheers and slogan-mongering from spectators on both sides.

The traditional event always attracted spectacular coverage and has been covered by almost every publication and TV channel around the world.

"The jawans taking part in the flag-lowering ceremony will shake hands properly from here onwards," the officials said.

Both sides also agreed to hold regular sports events between Indian and Pakistani troops to promote friendship and ease tensions.

A similar effort was also made to lessen animated gestures in the parade during former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf's tenure when the peace process was initiated between both countries in 2004, but it could not last long as tensions resurfaced.

The current style of flag-lowering ceremony started at the Wagah border in 1960.

The 19-member Indian delegation spent five days in Lahore to discuss issues related to cross-border tensions, smuggling and release of fishermen and will now pursue these points with their respective governments to form a joint mechanism to resolve such issues.

 

[notsuperstitious]

Pakistan won?t tone down flag postures – The Express Tribune

LAHORE:
Pakistan on Thursday rejected India’s request to tone down the flag-lowering ceremony at Wagah border.

According to a press release, the Director-General of Punjab Rangers Major General Muhammad Yaqoob Ali Khan has said that the parade will continue in its traditional aggressive style, adding that firm handshakes between ranger personnels from both sides will also continue.

It may be mentioned that on request of the Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) last month, the Punjab Rangers had taken the decision to discontinue the aggressive marching approach during the flag march ceremony at the Wagah border, which over the years has established its position as a symbolic and traditional feature and has been witnessed by throngs of people from both sides of the border.

Both Major General Khan and the Director-General of India’s BSF Raman Shrivastav had earlier decided that both countries will take substantial steps to free as many prisoners as possible.

They had also agreed to urge their respective governments to initiate the release of fishermen held in their respective countries after detention and official paperwork.

Comment - disappointing, there's more to a nation's life than security. Why does Pakistan not want normalisation is anybody's guess.

 

[WAQAS119]

Pakistan won?t tone down flag postures – The Express Tribune
Comment - disappointing, there's more to a nation's life than security. Why does Pakistan not want normalisation is anybody's guess.

Already posted!!!!!!!!!!!!


http://www.defence.pk/forums/curren...pakistan-refuse-tone-down-wagah-ceremony.html

 

[WAQAS119]

No body wants this great event to become part of history!!!!! This is our culture!

 

[Capt.Popeye]

No body wants this great event to become part of history!!!!! This is our culture!

Why not. If you wish to, please keep it going. People do go to a circus to see a spectacle (tamasha). Part of that is seeing clowns and trained performers. So why should people be deprived of some entertainment in their hum-drum lives. And there are the assorted "chai-wallahs and moongphali wallahs" who are seen on the side-lines of the show. They make a living out of it. They should not be deprived of that.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Already posted!!!!!!!!!!!!


http://www.defence.pk/forums/curren...pakistan-refuse-tone-down-wagah-ceremony.html

great news....it's an old tradition and ceremonial practice, and it would be foolish and unpatriotic of Pakistani Nation to do away with it --regardless if it is perceived negatively, or if some non-Pakistani journalist worries about the health impacts on the knees of foot-pressing and leg-stretching (lol)

 

[scrumpy]

great news....it's an old tradition and ceremonial practice, and it would be foolish and unpatriotic of Pakistani Nation to do away with it --regardless if it is perceived negatively, or if some non-Pakistani journalist worries about the health impacts on the knees of foot-pressing and leg-stretching (lol)

Don't know why banging your legs on the ground is considered patriotism.

I think Indians should stop clowning around at the border. Let the neighbours bang their legs on the ground and make funny faces. If that makes them happy, I say great.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

exactly......as it is your side of the fence, your people can do whatever they please; doesnt affect us -as what we do doesn't affect you