–Buzdar-led govt had said it would legislate to make Basant people-friendly event
LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to impose a complete ban on Basant a year after the government claimed it would bring effective legislation so that the cultural event could be celebrated without putting human lives at risk.
A government meeting discussed the issue of celebrating Basant in February, followed by an order of the chief secretary which banned the spring festival.
The chief secretary in the session ordered district administrations in Punjab to take stern action against kite flying across the province. The meeting decided with the resolve that no person will be allowed to play the blood sport, according to the sources.
After coming to power, Chohan, Punjab information minister, had said that the ban would be lifted and people would be able to celebrate Basant in Feb 2019.
“The Supreme Court in its order had clarified that there was no restriction on holding the Basant festival and that it should be celebrated while staying within the ambit of law, as well as the rules and regulations defined by the government,” the minister had said.
However, a petition was filed in the Lahore High Court wherein it was contended that it “was unconstitutional to allow a leisure activity that results in the loss of human lives”.
Subsequently, the government backtracked and said that Basant would not be allowed in 2019, as it was not “fully prepared to make the event a safe activity in terms of the threat to human life and the damage to civic infrastructure that have occurred in the past”.
“The government plans to develop well-thought-out legislation to check violations that may cause a threat to lives and property both so that the event can be marked safely,” it was reported.
In 2005, the Supreme Court had imposed a ban on the manufacture, trade or flying of kites. The court said it was a precautionary measure to prevent the loss of lives since kite strings were sometimes laced with chemicals. The top court later imposed a ban on Basant in 2007 after the deaths of several people due to kite’s glass-coated strings.
It may be noted here that the number of people dying due to kite-related incidents has witnessed an increase due to repeated violations of the ban on kite flying and related activities. As per the ban, kite flying and selling can lead up to three years imprisonment in addition to fines.
