Punjab govt backtracks on allowing Basant

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Wednesday backtracked on an earlier decision to celebrate Basant this year. 

“We require for to six months of preparation for make Basant safe. If institutions fulfil their responsibilities such festivals can take place,” said Punjab minister Aleem Kahn said.

In December, Punjab Information Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan announced that Basant which is a kite-flying festival would be held in the province in February. The minister had termed Basant an enormous economic activity which would promote tourism.

Basant, a kite-flying seasonal festival of the Punjab region that has been celebrated for generations, is held in late January or early February and marks the start of spring season.

The festival was banned in 2005 after several incidents of kite flyers' sharp glass and chemical coated strings slitting throats of citizens, including children. Negligence of safety rules and regulations also led to several deaths as a result of celebratory aerial gunfire and fatal falls from rooftops during the festival.

The Supreme Court subsequently ruled on a public interest petition and banned kite flying. It remained outlawed during both tenures of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shahbaz Sharif's provincial government in Punjab.

The ban left the kite and string making industry in Punjab in disarray, and destroyed related commercial activity including food and hotel occupancy worth billions.