Arsalan, a resident of College Road in Gujranwala, was sent to the Central Jail by the Model Town police under Kite Flying Act.
After Gujranwala Sessions Judge Rashid Qamar learnt about the incident, he went to the Central Jail himself in order to free the boy.
Qamar said that the Kite Flying Act was not applicable on twelve year olds and handed the boy to his family members.
He also summoned Magistrate Shahzad Ahmad and SHO Model Town, seeking an explanation.
Currently, the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying (Amendment) Bill, 2009 forbids committing or abetting the act of kite flying and/or manufacture and sale of kites.
COMMENTS (9)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
its only the politics war against kite flying just because of this ban on ke flying by the way its also the rsponsbility of kite flier that they do not used the harmless dor if they destroy all dangerous dor this game will reopen and its not the festival of india
@Rick Kinnaird: Dear Rick, Your explanation puts a completely different perspective upon kite flying in Pakistan. It is obviously a dangerous sport the way some people practice it. I am surprised it was not explained in the above article.
Kite flying in India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan is not like what we do in the United States. It is really kite fighting. The kite lines are coated with glue and powdered glass. The kites are maneuverable and the idea is to cut the other kite out of the sky. The powdered glass line is as sharp as the old thin steel razor blades. To cut another kite out of the sky takes less than a second. If you let the kite line run through your hand and try to pinch it and fail to stop it you will be cut to the bone. The problem is that the old line from kites cut from the sky ends up being drape across trees, roads, etc. Every year someone riding a motorbike gets their throat cut. Last year I think it happened to a young girl riding on the handlebars of her dad's motor scooter. To combat this problem many residents run a bamboo pole from front to back on their scooters. Recent innovations have brought in even stronger glass coated line from China thus exacerbating the situation. I believe it was this mentioned where the girl got her throat cut and died. City officials said enough and passed the ban. Hopefully, they can work our t a better way than what they came up with so far. - Rick Kinnaird
@Stupid Man: Dear Stupid Man, I understand that kite flying is popular with Hindus, as it is world wide, but so is eating and Pakistan does not ban eating.
Kite flying is a part of Hindu festival (Vasant). No wonder it gets banned in Pakistan.
Can anybody explain why kite flying is banned? It seems a harmless hobby to me.
@Salahuddin: Gov should lift the ban on kite flying
Kite flying is every young kid's right and setting the rules of the game and putting these in place is govt's duty. PML(N)'s government should realize this fact. I think Shahbaz Sharif in his childhood, must have enjoyed kite flying himself. Denying this right to today's kids is actually a big failure of Punjab govt and administration.