The retreat ceremony started in 1959 after both the Indian and Pakistan government agreed for the same.
Visitors who wish to witness the daily national flag retreat ceremony held at the Attari-Wagah border along India Pakistan border in Punjab can now easily register online for free as Border Security Force (BSF) has launched a web portal for this purpose.
"This website has been launched exclusively for free booking of seats online, for attending the Retreat Ceremony at Attari, Amritsar. The booking of seats will start from January 1, 2023. Seat booking would be available 48 hours prior to the date of visit, OTP enabled registration to authenticate the visitor and QR code is also generated for faster identification," a senior BSF official explained.
Right now, people reach the retreat area without any prior booking and the BSF have to accommodate them after checking their identity cards, he said.
BSF will start accepting bookings from January 1, 2023, and as of now an individual would be able to book for a group of 12 people, 48 hours prior to the event.
Every evening, the ceremony starts at 3:30 pm, and almost 20,000 people watch it every day. "We also accommodate people otherwise. But during weekends and days of national holidays, the numbers swell up to 40,000," he added.
The Attari-Wagah joint check post (JCP), at Attari near Amritsar in Punjab, is located on the International Border between India and Pakistan, about 27 kms from Amritsar. It has been an important tourist attraction due to conduct of Joint Retreat Parade between BSF and Pak Rangers every day.
The retreat ceremony is a traditional practice, which is performed when the fighting troops conclude their battle, sheathe their weapons, and retreat from the battlefield after sunset.
Before 1947, Amritsar and Lahore were the two prominent cities of the erstwhile undivided Punjab, but after partition, the Joint Check Post (JCP) was established near the International Border pillar number 102 at Attari Village on GT Road.
The retreat ceremony started in 1959 after both the Indian and Pakistan government agreed for the same. During the mid 1950s, JCP was taken over by the Punjab Police. The BSF has continued this legacy of the retreat ceremony since December 1, 1965.
The website has been created by Kynet Web Solutions (Mandi) and a team of experts from National Informatics Center (NIC) led by Ashok Kumar Agrawal, HOD (MHA), Scientist.