Ganda Singh Wala

Ganda Singh Wala
گنڈا سِنگھ والا
village
Flag lowering ceremony in Ganda Singh Wala near, Lahore City
Flag lowering ceremony in Ganda Singh Wala near, Lahore City
Ganda Singh Wala is located in Punjab, Pakistan
Ganda Singh Wala
Ganda Singh Wala
Location in Punjab, Pakistan
Ganda Singh Wala is located in Pakistan
Ganda Singh Wala
Ganda Singh Wala
Ganda Singh Wala (Pakistan)
Coordinates: 31°2′16.71″N 74°31′6.47″E / 31.0379750°N 74.5184639°E / 31.0379750; 74.5184639
Country Pakistan
ProvincePunjab
DistrictKasur
Languages
 • OfficialUrdu, Shahmukhi
Time zoneUTC+5:00 (PST)
Nearest villageHussainiwala

Ganda Singh Wala (Punjabi/Urdu: گنڈا سنگھ والا) is a village, just 58 km from Lahore City in Kasur District in the Punjab, Pakistan. Until 1986, it served as the main border crossing between Pakistan and India.[1] The Sutlej River flows by Ganda Singh Wala, and the area is prone to flooding.[2]

The village is now a 45-minute drive from Lahore after the construction of the new Lahore-Firozpur road. Nearby Burj Naamdaar village is noted for the cultivation of bamboo.[citation needed]

Etymology

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The village was named after Ganda Singh Datt. It lies on the border with Eastern Punjab, India. The Pakistani village, which was named after a Sikh man, lies opposite the Indian village of Hussainiwala, which in turn was named after a Muslim man.

India Pakistan Border

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Border crossing

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The border crossing is now closed. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was the principal road crossing between India and Pakistan,[3] but was replaced by the border crossing at Wagah, a little further north. In 2005 there were proposals to reopen the border,[4] but it remained closed. More recently the Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif proposed the reopening of the border when he visited Attari in India.[citation needed]

Border ceremony

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Since 1970, a daily 6 pm Beating Retreat Border Ceremony is jointly held at the border crossing by the military of both nations. It is similar to the Attari-Wagah border ceremony.[5] Attendees are seated close by, as compared to Wagah where crowds are kept far apart. The Indian village across the border is Hussainiwala. "Ganda Singh Wala-Hussainiwala border ceremony" is attended mostly by local Punjabis on either side of the border.

See also

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References

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