Punjab govt shelves plans to celebrate Basant

Senior minister Aleem Khan says four to six months of preparations required to celebrate the festival

LAHORE: The Punjab government announced on Wednesday that Basant will not be celebrated in the province this year. Senior Punjab Minister Abdul Aleem Khan directed that the Lahore High Court (LHC) be informed in this regard.

The decision of to celebrate the spring festival, taken by the provincial government in December last year, was challenged in the Lahore High Court in a plea contending it might cause loss of more innocent lives. The petitioner had contended that the festival not only resulted in the loss of lives but also caused loss of billions to public property.



Presiding over a high-level meeting today, Aleem Khan said that the government has decided to apprise the court about the facts and the apprehensions regarding the festival. The decision was taken on this basis, he added. Khan directed officials concerned to start preparing for next year’s festival so that kite sellers can be registered and violators can be brought to book.

He maintained that if required, new laws can be implemented to celebrate the festival. Preparations of at least four to six months are required to hold the festival, he added.



Aleem Khan said if the relevant institutions work together, such activities can be used to promote a softer image of the country and to boost economic activities in the region.

In December last year, Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan stated that the provincial authorities had decided to celebrate Basant in Lahore in the second week of February.

Speaking at a press conference, he had said that the festival of Basant was a reflection of Punjab’s culture. Basant is purely a cultural, social and traditional event and it would be incorrect to link the festival with any religion, he added.