LAHORE - The Punjab government’s order to lift the ban on Basant festival has been challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC). A writ petition was filed in the LHC a day after the Punjab government decided to lift the ban on Basant festivity, and announced that the kite-flying festival would be held in the province in February.
Basant festival was banned after throats of several motorcyclists and others were cut with kite flyers’ sharp glass and chemical coated strings. Hence, the petitioner prayed, any festivity on the expense of human lives not be allowed. He requested the court to set aside the government’s decision as the kite-flying would result in human and financial loss.
Last Tuesday, the Punjab government decided to lift a ban on Basant festivity, and announced that the kite-flying festival would be held in the province in February.
Basant would be held in late January or early February and marks the start of the spring season when the incidents of killing did not happen due to the use of string made of sharp glass and chemical. A kite-flying seasonal festival of the Punjab region has been celebrated for many decades. It was banned by the Supreme Court in 2005 after several incidents of death. Negligence of safety rules also led to several deaths as a result of celebratory. The petitioner says that the lifting of ban on Basant was an attempt by the government to divert people’s attention from genuine issues plaguing the country.
Earlier yesterday, Hina Pervaiz Butt, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmaker, submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly against the Punjab government’s decision to lift the ban on Basant celebrations. In the resolution, the lawmaker demanded that the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice and banned the killer festival while the decision to lift the ban on Basant was in violation of the apex court’s order. The Punjab government had announced to lift the ban on the kite-flying festival a day earlier, saying that it will be celebrated in the second week of February 2019. The petitioner through Advocate Safdar Shaheed Pirzada contended that the festival had been banned in the first place because it had taken the form of a “blood sport”.
He pleaded that it was “unconstitutional” to allow a leisure activity “that results in the loss of human lives”. The announcement had been made by Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan saying that the government had decided to lift Basant ban. He had further said that that a committee consisting of the Punjab law minister, the provincial chief secretary, and other administrative staff, will be constituted to discuss how the negative aspects of the festival such as killing of people especially bikers with the chemical coated string could be avoided. Saying that the committee would give its recommendations within a week, he had said, “This time, Lahore’s population will surely celebrate Basant.”
He was of the view that the Supreme Court in its order had clarified that there was no restriction on holding the Basant festival but it should be marked within the ambit of law and the rules defined by the administration.
The Punjab information minister had said that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had constituted a committee with reference to negative aspects of Basant. Every year, some of the citizens and civil society members demand permission to celebrate Basant therefore the Punjab government sought recommendations regarding holding of the kite festival but the decision has been challenged in the High Court which will take the issue today.