CM’s tweet confirms ban on basant

LAHORE: The Punjab chief minister’s tweet confirming the continued ban on basant has finally brought the rumour mill to a grinding halt.

Media-based debates on basant have brought the subject back to life as provincial government representatives took an ambiguous stance on the matter and neither completely supported the ban nor denied it.



A committee was formed to look for plausible solutions for a safe basant but like previous years, the government failed to find a workable solution and ended up continuing the ban.

In his tweet, Shehbaz warned police to ensure the ban or face the music. He said nobody would be allowed to play with the lives of people.



In 2005, the Supreme Court banned the spring festival over a number of deaths caused by the use of glass-coated kite string. The festival of kite-flying was completely banned across Punjab.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2017.