Contradictory statement: Basant lovers left dazed and confused

Minister says annual kite-flying festival will be celebrated with pomp

LAHORE: Contradictory statements by the Punjab government have caused a great deal of confusion over Basant celebrations. There has been a decade-old ban on the annual kite-flying event after several fatal accidents had taken place.

Addressing a news conference at the National Hockey Stadium on Monday morning, Punjab Minister for Education Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan indicated that the government was considering lifting the ban on basant which takes place in February. It was proposed that kite flying would be allowed in designated areas inside and around the city.



Later, the Punjab government’s external communication wing, Directorate of Public Relations, issued an official handout quoting the minister. “The government has received proposals duly approved by the basant committee. Basant will be celebrated in the provincial capital with pomp and show in February.”

Meanwhile, the provincial government’s social media team posted on Twitter, “Some news channels are reporting approval of Basant by the government of Punjab, which is NOT CORRECT. We will announce it here if such a step is taken.”

Neither Khan nor the Punjab government’s spokesman, Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadri, were available for comments, despite many attempts to contact them. However, when asked, the Minister for Education Public Relation Officer’s (PRO), Farhan Ali Sheikh, accepted that the fault lay with the government. He said the directorate was issuing a revised version of the official handout.

Basant committee member Mian Yousaf Salahuddin told The Express Tribune that the government had not given its final nod to the February festival. However, he said the committee finalised its recommendations for the revival of a ‘Safe Basant’ in Lahore. He added the committee proposed that the government regulate the sale of kite strings by selling them only through designated outlets.

Salahuddin said the committee proposed a ban on pillion riding for 24 hours. He disclosed the committee sought an appointment with the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to present its recommendations. He added the final decision would be taken by the CM.

In 2005, the Supreme Court had banned the Basant festival after a number of deaths were caused by sharp and glass-coated strings. Several petitions challenging the ban were dismissed by the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2016.