Pakistan blames India for Wagah border waterlogging after viral video

Embarrassed by a viral video showing its side of the Wagah border parade path waterlogged, with Rangers wading through knee-deep water while the Indian side looked dry, Pakistan has blamed India for the mess, saying the elevation of the Grand Trunk (GT) Road on the Indian side was to blame, The Times of India reported.

India has already implemented a rainwater harvesting system and improved drainage management to prevent waterlogging, as per ToI.

Pakistan is grappling with severe floods after days of relentless rainfall. At the daily ceremony at Wagah, its parade area was seen submerged in muddy water, with sandbags stacked at some spots to control the flow. On the Indian side, however, the ground remained largely dry, barring a small patch near the international gates.

According to sources, Pakistan has raised the elevation issue with Indian authorities. To ease the outflow of water, it also rushed to dig drainage channels and elevate part of the road.

BSF IG (Punjab Frontier) Atul Fulzele said that there had been “incessant and heavy rainfall” on August 8–9, and the video was most likely shot during that period. “There has been no waterlogging at any of the three sites of the ceremonial flag-lowering ceremonies — Attari, Hussainiwala, and Sadqi,” he said. However, he acknowledged that several border outposts (BoPs) along the Punjab Frontier were inundated due to heavy rainfall, and some had to be evacuated.

BoPs located in enclaves beyond the Ravi river and short of the international border are also being evacuated as flooding worsens, ToI added.