Ganda Singh Wala

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Ganda Singh Wala

| native_name = {{Nastaliq|گنڈا سِنگھ والا}}

| native_name_lang = pa

| other_name =

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| settlement_type = village

| image_skyline = Ganda Singh border kasur.jpg

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Flag lowering ceremony in Ganda Singh Wala near, Lahore City

| pushpin_map = Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan

| pushpin_label_position = right

| pushpin_map_alt =

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Punjab, Pakistan

| coordinates = {{coord|31|2|16.71|N|74|31|6.47|E|display=inline,title}}

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|Pakistan}}

| subdivision_type1 = Province

| subdivision_name1 = Punjab

| subdivision_type2 = District

| subdivision_name2 = Kasur

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| unit_pref = Metric

| area_footnotes =

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| population_density_km2 = auto

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| demographics_type1 = Languages

| demographics1_title1 = Official

| demographics1_info1 = Urdu, Shahmukhi

| timezone1 = PST

| utc_offset1 = +5:00

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| blank1_name_sec1 = Nearest village

| blank1_info_sec1 = Hussainiwala

| website =

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}}

Ganda Singh Wala (Punjabi/{{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|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.[https://kasur.punjab.gov.pk/important_places Important Places] Kasur District, Official District website. Retrieved 24 October 2019 The Sutlej River flows by Ganda Singh Wala, and the area is prone to flooding.[http://iahs.info/redbooks/a281/iahs_281_090.pdf Shaukati Ali Awan Flood forecasting and management in Pakistan]

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|date=September 2012}}

Etymology

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

=Border crossing =

The border crossing is now closed. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was the principal road crossing between India and Pakistan,[https://archive.today/20120905174419/http://www.paulmason.info/viarishikesh/viarishikeshch16.htm Paul Mason (2006) Via Rishikesh: an account of hitchhiking to India in 1970] but was replaced by the border crossing at Wagah, a little further north. In 2005 there were proposals to reopen the border,[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_8-9-2005_pg5_1 Daily Times, 8 September 2005] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020155420/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_8-9-2005_pg5_1 |date=20 October 2012 }} 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|date=September 2012}}

=Border ceremony =

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.[http://ferozepur.nic.in/html/indopakborder.html District Ferozepur website: Retreat Ceremony at Husainiwala] 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

References

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