Retreat Ceremony at Attari-Wagah Border to Reopen for Public from May 21

Pratiksha Ghosh 

Punjab ,May 20, 2025:The Border Security Force (BSF) has announced that the iconic retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border will reopen to the general public starting from May 21. This comes nearly two weeks after the ceremony was suspended due to heightened security concerns amid the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor.

On Tuesday, May 20, the BSF will conduct the ceremony exclusively for media personnel at 6 PM. Public attendance will resume the following day, May 21, across all three Joint Check Posts (JCPs) under the Punjab Frontier.

Last month, the BSF had suspended public access to the event at Attari and other JCPs, citing safety concerns in the wake of the terror incident in Pahalgam. This move came shortly after India launched Operation Sindoor, a military operation that reportedly resulted in the destruction of nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

While the retreat ceremony is set to resume, certain restrictions will remain in place. As previously announced, there will be no ceremonial handshakes between BSF personnel and Pakistan Rangers, and the border gates will remain shut during the flag-lowering ceremony.

Officials stated that “public safety” continues to be the top priority and that necessary precautions will be taken during the resumed ceremonies.