LAHORE, Nov 6: The Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) will continue their daily parade as part of the flag lowering and hoisting ceremonies at Wagah Border in the traditional ‘enthusiastic style’ without any change except revival of formal handshake between the officers representing the two sides.

Officials say no change has been introduced in the parade’s style, and that the apprehensions expressed by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) regarding the ‘hostile gestures’ by the Rangers are baseless.

A news release issued by the Rangers’ headquarters on Saturday stated in response to the Indian ‘propaganda’ that the BSF had persuaded the Rangers to tone down the ‘hostile’ gestures during the parade.

According to Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) Director General Maj-Gen Muhammad Yaqoob Khan, the drill at Wagah will continue in its traditional way.

He said during the biannual meeting with BSF held in Lahore last month, it was decided that onwards parade commanders from both sides would shake hands while the rest of the parade would continue as per practice.

He said these practices were not aggression and were just part of the drills, adding, “The drill is pride of a soldier as he (soldier) feels proud of it”.

Rangers’ spokesman Deputy Superintendent Nadeem Raza told Dawn the style of the drill was the same and would be continued in future. However, he said, the formal handshake between the commanders of two sides had been revived following the biannual meeting.

He said the Rangers had yet to receive a fresh request or proposal from the BSF about how to minimise ‘aggressive’ gestures during the drills.

He said the media would be invited soon to see the drills.

During a joint media briefing held on Oct 30 by Ranger (Punjab) Director General Maj-Gen Muhammad Yaqoob and his BSF counterpart Shri Raman Srivastav at the conclusion of the five-day biannual talks between the heads of two forces, the Rangers DG had said both countries had agreed to ‘tone down the hostile gestures’ exchanged by soldiers at Wagah Border during the flag hoisting and lowering ceremonies.

“Though it was not on our agenda, but upon my counterpart’s request we have discussed it and decided to tone down the offensive gestures like fist gestures, hand touching, thumb-showing, staring etc. The soldiers from both sides will also shake hand with each other so as to have a cordial environment during the daily flag lowering ceremony,” he had said.