Move to revive Basant in Punjab faces first legal challenge
• Petition before LHC fears ‘bloody sport’ may cause deaths; ordinance issued despite assembly being in session
• Azma says festival will no longer be dangerous activity, rather a secure cultural celebration
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday was moved against the Punjab government’s decision to lift the ban on Basant celebration through an ordinance that revived the festival after 18 years, with strict conditions to prevent any potential loss of life.
The Judicial Activism Panel (JAP), a self-styled public interest litigation organisation, filed the petition assailing the law on multiple grounds. The petition filed through Advocate Azhar Siddique stated that the government issued the ordinance despite the provincial assembly being in session.
It expressed concern that kite flying had caused numerous deaths in the past in different cities of the province and even the Supreme Court had previously ruled against the activity. The petition feared that allowing kite flying again may lead to further loss of life while the Constitution guaranteed the safety of every citizen’s life and property.
It states that before any revival, it should be remembered that last year, PML-N President Mian Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited the home of one Asif Ashfaq, who died due to a kite string in Faisalabad. The petition noted that the chief minister had then termed kite flying a ‘bloody sport’, expressing her sympathies with the bereaved family.
It asked the court to declare that the purported exercise of power under Article 128 of the Constitution for promulgating the impugned ordinance without any lawful or emergent circumstances was mala fide and constituted an abuse of the governor’s ordinance-making power. The petition requested the court to declare the ordinance, along with the notification permitting kite flying, null and void.
‘Safe and regulated’
On the other hand, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said the festival would be “completely safe, regulated, and strictly monitored”.
The iconic festival of Basant, which heralded the coming of spring and saw the skies over Punjab’s cities spring to life with thousands of colourful kites, has been revived by the provincial government after an 18-year hiatus. The Punjab government imposed a full ban on kite-flying in 2007, following several deaths — especially of motorcyclists and children — due to sharp kite string.
In a statement issued here on Thursday, the minister said that Basant would no longer be a dangerous activity but a secure cultural celebration, and no one would be allowed to violate the law.
“The business of deadly, metallic, and chemically coated kite strings has been permanently eradicated from the province,” she claimed. According to the minister, the use or sale of metal or chemically coated string will result in three to five years of imprisonment and fines up to Rs2 million.
She said that violations of the Kite Flying Act by children would incur a Rs50,000 fine for the first offence and Rs100,000 for the second.
Additionally, registration has been made mandatory for those who manufacture or sell kite string, with QR-coded identification required on every roll.
Azma Bokhari explained safety measures for motorcyclists had also been tightened. She clarified that the objective of Punjab’s new traffic laws was not punishment, but the protection of every citizen’s life, home, and family. Traffic violations would lead to fines, and repeated offences may result in the auction of the vehicle.
The minister said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif had strictly banned the handcuffing of minors, ensuring that underage offenders would only be fined, not arrested. She said that legislation was also being drafted to provide legal cover for underage motorcyclists.
Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2025
