The story of Wagah-Attari Border

The Wagah-Attari border, at a short distance from Lahore and Amritsar is a trade and transit point between India and Pakistan. Over the past 70 years, the display of respective nationalisms at the border has become very dramatic, aggressive, and hateful.

A quick glance at post-Kargil films such as Gadar:Ek Prem Katha (2001), LOC Kargil (2003), and The Hero: Love Story of a Spy (2003) demonstrate how Kargil has influenced our notions of nationalism.

The Attari border is managed by BSF since its creation in 1965. “Your excellency” is the salutation that the officers on either side use when addressing each other. Sarhad is a highway restaurant close to the Attari-Wagah border that serves both Pakistani and Indian cuisine, reminding everyone of the common architectural, cultural and culinary heritage of pre-Partition Punjab.

Seventy years after the violence of Partition, the India-Pakistan relationship today has been reduced to shouting matches and threats of apocalyptic nuclear wars. The retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border is now a constant daily reminder of our hostility towards each other.