Fanfare for the comic men at the India-Pakistan border - latimes.com

Fanfare for the comic men at the India-Pakistan border

The daily flag-lowering ceremony at Wagah is part macho strut, part Monty Python. Some see it as a metaphor for the nations' complex relationship.

Pakistani Rangers, left, and Indian Border Security Forces marching during a flag-hoisting ceremony at the Wagah crossing. (Arif Ali / AFP/Getty Images)

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By Mark Magnier

February 26, 2010

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Reporting from The Wagah Crossing, India-Pakistan Border -- As one heads across the border from India into Pakistan at the Wagah crossing, the only thing that seems to concern the customs officer in the (essentially dry) Islamic Republic of Pakistan is whether you're bringing in booze.

Heading back the other way after two weeks covering political infighting and Taliban attacks, the first thing you hear from an industrious Indian hawker is "You want to buy beer?"