LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) and subordinate courts throughout Punjab will conduct regular hearings on February 6 and 7, even as the provincial government has declared public holidays on those dates to mark Basant.
Following the government’s announcement, the LHC administration placed a proposal before Chief Justice Aalia Neelum suggesting closure of courts for the two days. The chief justice declined the recommendation and directed that judicial work continue without interruption. Court proceedings at the LHC and across the province will therefore proceed as scheduled on both days.
An official notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department on February 4 declared February 6 and 7, 2026, Friday and Saturday, as public holidays across Punjab.
Earlier, on February 2, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had encouraged citizens to use the extended weekend for rest, outlining the sequence of holidays beginning with Kashmir Day on February 5, followed by the Basant holiday on February 6 and the routine weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
The revival of Basant this year follows a long hiatus in Lahore, where the festival had once been closely associated with colourful skies, rooftop gatherings and the onset of spring but later drew controversy over safety concerns.
Traditionally observed on the fifth day of the month of Magh in late January or early February, Basant celebrates the arrival of spring and has historically been marked across Punjab, including in India and among Punjabi communities abroad, with kite flying as the central activity.
In Punjab, the festival came under scrutiny in the early 2000s after incidents involving celebratory gunfire, hazardous kite strings and rooftop falls led to numerous fatalities, resulting in a comprehensive ban imposed in 2007.
The current revival has been enabled through the Punjab Kite Flying Ordinance 2025, which permits the festival under strict regulatory conditions governing kite size, string composition, use of sound equipment and rooftop access.
Under directives issued by the Lahore district administration on the chief minister’s instructions, kite flying will be allowed only within Lahore’s district boundaries and only on the specified days, while prohibitions elsewhere in the province remain in force.
The regulations ban nylon, plastic, chemically treated and glass coated strings, as well as metallic wires and spools. Only cotton thread wound into round pinna forms will be permitted, each marked with a QR code to enable monitoring and traceability.
