AMRITSAR: The number of tourists visiting the Attari-Wagah border on the Pakistan side to witness the daily Beating The Retreat ceremony has been declining, owing to recently introduced tight security measures by the Pakistan Rangers.
According to sources here, the number of tourists visiting the other side of the border had been less than 1,000 during weekends of late. Earlier, the figure would easily cross 1,200. “The measures were introduced after the Peshawar mosque blast which claimed over 100 lives,” said sources.
Lahore resident Asif Mehmood informed that in the past, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) began a double-decker bus service from Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium to Wagah border to promote tourism. As many as five such buses were launched for taking tourists to Wagah and sightseeing near Lahore.
Compared to Wagah, the daily rush of tourists at Attari, which falls on the Indian side, touches over 25,000 on weekdays and around 30,000 on weekends and national holidays.
Asif said as against the seating capacity of around 8,000 persons at Wagah, 1,000-1,500 tourists would usually arrive to witness the flag-lowering ceremony on an average every day. The number would earlier touch 3,500-4,000 during weekends or Pakistan’s national holidays, he said.
Asif held inflation, lack of awareness and interest for the decline in Pakistan. “Of course, security measures are in place as per requirement,” he said.
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