No sweet exchange between Rangers, BSF on Eid

Last week, forces also skipped symbolic gesture on Holi festival

ISLAMABAD:

Amid tension between Pakistan and India, the forces of the two countries guarding their international borders skipped a symbolic goodwill gesture of exchanging sweets and well wishes for each other on this Eidul Fitr.

For the past many years, it has been a tradition that the border forces of both countries, the Pakistan Rangers and India’s Border Security Force (BSF), extended goodwill on each other's religious and national festivals.

However, last week, the Pakistan Rangers and the BSF did not exchange sweets on the Hindu religious festival of Holi, as relations between the two neighbours had dipped since August 2019, when India revoked special status of occupied Kashmir.

A similar situation was witnessed on Eidul Fitr on Wednesday, when the local commanders of the border forces did not exchange sweets, a source confirmed on Friday.

Relations between Pakistan and India have remained strained since Pakistan suspended bilateral trade in response to India's unilateral move on August 5, 2019, to end the semi-autonomous status of the Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

However, despite the tensions, sweets and gifts were exchanged on important national and religious festivals during the previous caretaker government in Pakistan. Now under the newly-elected government, this process has ceased.