Pakistan refuses to discontinue aggressive marching at Wagah

ISLAMABAD - Islamabad has turned down a suggestion to discontinue the aggressive marching during the flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah border post between India and Pakistan, a media report said Sunday.

Director General of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) Major General Muhammad Yaqoob Ali Khan has said the parade will continue in the traditional aggressive style. He said the handshake between the two sides’ soldiers will continue, the Express Tribune reported Sunday.

The decision to continue with the aggressive marching comes barely a week after authorities from India and Pakistan agreed to do away with the show-piece event.

A decision on this was reached Oct 30 in Lahore, capital of Pakistan’s Punjab province, after a meeting between visiting Director General of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) Raman Srivastava and Khan.

“We have decided to end the angry eyeball-to-eyeball exchange, thumping of boots and other aggressive gestures from the flag-lowering parade,” Khan had said.

“The jawans taking part in the flag-lowering ceremony will shake hands properly from here onwards,” an official said.

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

The two officials had also decided to take steps to free prisoners. They agreed to urge their respective governments to release fishermen held by both sides after minimum detention and paperwork, the report said.