No exchange of sweets at India-Pakistan border on Diwali

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday refused to exchange sweets and greetings with Pakistani Rangers along the international boundary on the occasion of Diwali.

The BSF move in the wake of the recent heightened tension between the two countries.

India has accused Pakistan of supporting terrorists from its soil who carried out an attack on an army base camp at Uri last month and unprovoked ceasefire violations along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir in recent months.

Border guards of both countries have for the past several years followed a tradition of exchanging sweets on major religious festivals like the Eid and Diwali, and also during Independence Days of both countries.

The BSF is on maximum alert in Punjab following recent ceasefire violations and Pakistan-backed terrorism incidents in neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir.

In the past 2-3 years, border guards have skipped the exchange of sweets on a few occasions.

The exchange ceremony is mainly held at the Attari-Wagah joint check post, 30 km from Amritsar, on the International Border.

Punjab has a 553-km barbed wire fenced border with Pakistan.

--IANS

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