A parade is held on the border in Jammu and Kashmir on the pattern of the parade of Indian and Pakistani forces at the Wagah border on the international border in Punjab. This traditional parade is held twice a week on the border in Suchetgarh, a border area 28 km from the winter capital of Jammu. It was inaugurated on October 3, 2021, by Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
The 36th Battalion of the Border Security Forces takes part in this traditional one-hour parade on Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. It is a one-way parade, not a joint parade of India and Pakistan in the style of Wagah.
The area is emerging as a major tourist centre with the parade held at Oktroi Post. Suchetgarh is among the 181 villages recently selected by the LG administration to be developed as tourist centres in Jammu and Kashmir. Having parades here has made it more interesting for tourists. People from Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and the Pir Panjal region visit with their families to attend the event in the evening.
According to the officials, if the relations between India and Pakistan improve and there is an agreement in this regard at the country level, then in the future there can be a joint traditional parade in the Wagah style here as well.
MS Mir, a lawyer by profession who came from Riasi to watch the event with his family, said, "It was a lot of fun to watch the parade, it's a strange feeling to come here, this place is full of patriotism, the children enjoyed it a lot. However, there is no reasonable provision of food and drink here. He said that tourists will be more attracted if there is a good restaurant here.
It is noteworthy that a few kilometres away from Oktroi Post is the famous Gharana Wetland, where thousands of different species of birds visit during winter from different countries of the world.
With time this entire area will develop well as a tourist destination adding to an already impressive list of tourism hotspots in J&K.
( With inputs from ANI )
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