The daily 7 pm ritual has been a public attraction since its inception in 1971 (The morning ceremony, when the flags of the two countries are hoisted and unfurled, is not open to public). The ongoing Kargil conflict has made it a crowd-puller, especially on the Indian side of the border.

The effects are visible in the demeanour of the men of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers participating in the event. The eye-to-eye contact between the BSF men and the Rangers signals an exchange of bitterness and anger. Tempers are frayed and the Kargil effect can be seen in the movement of the participants on both sides. This is also admitted by Ajmal Singh, Assistant Commandant of BSF's 75 Battalion.

According to BSF sources, the number of people coming to witness the ceremony has almost doubled in the past two weeks,particularly on Sundays and Fridays -- Sunday being a closed day here and Friday in Pakistan. HL Gupta of Ludhiana and Preet Mohinder Singh Brar of Bathinda told The Indian Express that they had come to see the retreat ceremony out of sheer curiosity about how the jawans reacted in these troubled times.

On Sunday, June 20, more than 2,000 persons on the Indian side struggled to take seats near the JPC but only about 50 persons had come to watch the ceremony on the Pakistan side. As the ceremony progressed and both Rangers and the BSF men went about their job, with renewed gusto, some in the audience got carried away and raised slogans of Bharat mata ki jai. They were immediately calmed down by BSF guards. However, clapping and hooting continued during the 25-minute ceremony.