AMRITSAR: In another sign of easing tensions with Pakistan, India announced on Tuesday that it would resume the daily flag-lowering ceremony at the border, which it briefly halted earlier this month following the most serious conflict between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals for decades.

At least 60 people died in fighting triggered by an April 22 attack on tourists in India-held Kashmir that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing. Pakistan denied any responsibility for the attack.

India’s Border Security Force said the sunset ceremony on its side would be open to the media on Tuesday and to the general public on Wednesday at the Attari-Wagah border in the state of Punjab.

The ceremony is expected to be a low-key affair with diplomatic measures against Pakistan still in place, including the closure of the land border.

Islamabad, New Delhi agree to withdraw troops by end of May

For years, the ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border has been a popular tourist attraction. Visitors from both sides come to cheer on soldiers goose-stepping in a chest-puffing theatrical show of pageantry.

The daily border ritual has largely endured over the decades, surviving innumerable diplomatic flare-ups and military skirmishes.

Troop withdrawal by month end

The two neighboring countries have also agreed to withdraw troop reinforcements deployed during their recent conflict back to their peacetime positions by the end of May, a senior Pakistani security official told AFP on Tuesday.

“Troops will be withdrawn to pre-conflict positions by the end of May,” the senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The official said both countries agreed a phased withdrawal of the additional troops and weaponry deployed, mostly on the already heavily militarised boundary dividing Azad Kashmir and India-held Kashmir, known as the Line of Control (LoC).

It comes after the Indian army last week said both sides agreed to take “immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas”.

“All of these steps were initially planned to be completed within 10 days, but minor issues caused delays,” the Pakistani official added.

‘No US role in ceasefire’

The latest conflict between India and Pakistan began on May 7 when India launched strikes against what it said were “terrorist camps” in Pakistan, triggering an immediate response from Islamabad.

The military confrontation involving intense tit-for-tat drone, missile, aerial combat and artillery exchanges came to an abrupt end after US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire, which is still holding.

However, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has denied US played any role in mediating the ceasefire, Dawn.com reported on Tuesday while quoting Indian media reports.

Mr Misri’s statement comes despite US President Trump taking credit multiple times for his administration’s role in the truce.

During a meeting of the parliamentary committee on external affairs on Monday, Mr Misri claimed the offer for ceasefire came from Pakistan and that no other country was involved in the negotiations, Hindustan Times reported, citing a “senior lawmaker”.

The panel, led by Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor, questioned the official on why the Indian government was giving Trump the centre stage and not refuting the US president’s claims on mediating the ceasefire.

However, Misri “did not give any answer” to the questions, Hindustan Times reported, quoting the lawmaker, whose name it did not specify.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2025