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Updated: Mar 01, 2019 15:25 IST

The retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border checkpost between India and Pakistan has been cancelled ahead of the return of Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

Amritsar deputy commissioner Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon pilot Abhinandan is “more important than the retreat ceremony”. (Live updates)

Hundreds of people are camping at the Attari border in Amritsar since the morning today with drums, garlands and flags to receive Wing Commander Varthaman. The numbers swelled as the news of his release spread.

The BSF, which mans the checkpost and the 553-km International Border with Pakistan in Punjab, is on high alert. Punjab Police and other security agencies stationed additional personnel in the area since Friday morning.

Also read: IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman expected to cross Wagah this evening

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced on Thursday that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be freed on Friday after New Delhi sought his unconditional, immediate and unharmed release signalling a de-escalation in the spiralling tension with

Khan’s announcement also came amid pressure from New Delhi and other countries to act against terror emanating from his country.

The 35-year-old Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was flying the MiG-21 Bison that shot down the PAF F-16 in the aerial engagement with Pakistan on Wednesday morning.

The beating retreat ceremony at Attari, 30 km from Amritsar has an energetic and patriotic flavour to it. It is conducted jointly by BSF trooperson the Attari side (in India) and Pakistan Rangers on the Wagah side (in Pakistan) every evening before sunset.