While the ceremony at the Benapole-Petrapole border is expected to start within a month, the BGB and the BSF have also decided to hold similar events at Changrabandha-Burimari and Phulbari-Banglabandha Border Outposts as well as at Akhaura Check-post.
The decision was taken at the 37th border coordination meet of the border forces of the two countries in New Delhi. BGB chief Major General Aziz Ahmed led the 23-member delegation from Bangladesh, while Indian delegation was headed by BSF Director General Subhash Joshi.
Ahmed and Joshi said necessary arrangements were being made and infrastructure being put in place to hold the joint border retreat ceremony. They were addressing media persons at the BSF headquarters in New Delhi after the border coordination conference concluded on Friday.
A large number of people turn up at the Wagah-Attari Integrated Check-post to witness the spectacular border retreat ceremony the BSF and Pakistan Rangers hold every evening. The ceremony starts with a blustering parade during which soldiers from both sides look eyeball to eyeball. It ends with coordinated lowering of the national flags of the two countries.
Till a few years ago, the complex relation between India and Pakistan were reflected in the aggressive posturing of the soldiers of the two countries during the ceremony at Wagah-Attari border. The aggressiveness has waned a bit in the rent times.
Joshi and Ahmed, however, told the media that the joint retreat ceremony would reflect friendly ties between India and Bangladesh.
They also agreed to cooperate for specialised training programmes for personnel of the forces of both sides, like holding sports tournament on the lines of “Maitree” volleyball match held on March 18 last.
They also agreed to extend medical facilities to each other’s personnel apart from holding a Shooting Championship with participation from both the BGB and the BSF.
