A citizen on Wednesday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court against the Punjab government's decision to lift the longstanding ban on Basant celebrations.

The petitioner maintained that the celebrations were banned after several incidents of kite flyers' sharp glass and chemical coated strings slitting throats of citizens, including children, hence any celebration on the expense of human lives must not be allowed.

The petitioner alleged that the Basant celebration is the government's attempt to divert people's attention from genuine issues. 

He requested the court to nullify the government's permission as the kite-flying will result in human and financial losses.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmaker Hina Pervaiz Butt, submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly today against the provincial government's decision to lift a longstanding ban on Basant celebrations.

The Punjab government has announced to celebrate the Basant festival in the second week of February.

The lawmaker in her resolution demanded the Supreme Court of Pakistan take suo motu notice on the lift on the ban as it violates its order issued in 2005, adding that the provincial government passed a law against Basant celebrations in 2009.

Butt said that over a thousand lives have been lost due to kite-flying, hence the opposition will not allow the government to organise the festival on the expense of human lives.

The PML-N lawmaker said that while Pakistan starkly stands at 150 in the list of developing countries, the government is more focused on mere celebrations.

The resolution demanded the provincial government to take back the decision.