Ganda Singh Wala
گنڈا سِنگھ والا | |
|---|---|
village | |
 Flag lowering ceremony in Ganda Singh Wala near, Lahore City | |
  Ganda Singh Wala Location in Punjab, Pakistan  Ganda Singh Wala Ganda Singh Wala (Pakistan) | |
| Coordinates: 31°2′16.71″N 74°31′6.47″E / 31.0379750°N 74.5184639°E | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| District | Kasur |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Urdu, Shahmukhi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:00 (PST) |
| Nearest village | Hussainiwala |
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]
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.
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]
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.
