Kite flyers throw ban to the wind

Kite Flying Association goes underground as police launch raids

RAWALPINDI:

The Pindi boys, true to their colours, flouted government restrictions to celebrate Basant night with full fanfare on Thursday evening.

Kites dotted the horizon at twilight engaged in aerial duels of pecha with loud music and crackle of aerial firing and fireworks filling the air.

Despite the government ban, the Kite Flying Association (KFA) announced from an undisclosed location it will celebrate Basant to welcome spring starting from Thursday (today) in cantonment areas and on February 25 and 26 in other areas of the city.

Police were unable to track down KFA representatives as they used social media to announce the Basant celebration, keeping their identities a secret.

Kite flying is banned in Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory owing to numerous fatal accidents caused by metallic and glass-laced kite flying strings getting entangled in necks of people.

Police had carried out a crackdown against kite sellers and fliers seizing thousands of kites and putting hundreds of people behind bars. However, being a minor misdemeanor, the court would release the suspects on the fine of Rs5,000 only.

Despite all efforts before the event, the police and the district administration failed to stop kite flying in the garrison city.

Rawalpindi Kite Flying Association (KFA) has announced to celebrate Basant on February 18 and 19. However, the police had launched a massive crackdown and seized thousands of kites and strings.

Unfazed by arrests, youngsters celebrated the Basant night during wee hours of Thursday as the white kites filled the air in Harley Street, Lal Kurti, Westridge, Tench Bhatta, Dhok Syedan, Mughalabad localities.

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi police spokesperson said that police were busy taking action using the drone cameras.

He claimed that dozens of kite flyers have been booked too while cases against them have been registered in different police stations.

The official urged the parents to stop children from the deadly sport of kite-flying.

The spokesperson said that special squads equipped with drone cameras, binoculars, and ladders will be deployed on more than 1,000 rooftops in densely populated areas to take action against those involved in kite flying.

He added that the squads will record the violators and send their footage to field officers after which cases against them will be registered.

Saddar, Tench Bhatta, Dhoke Syedan, Dhoke Chaudhry, 22 Chungi, Harley Street, Kalma Chowk, Lalkarti, Dhari Hassanabad, Mughalabad, Misrial, Chaudhry Harpal, Allahabad, Westridge, Chaklala Scheme 3, and Gulistan Colony will be the hot spots during the festival.

It may be recalled that despite a ban last year, many people celebrated the festival by flying kites and were also involved in aerial firing resulting in more than 50 injuries by chemical strings and bullets, collectively.

Police on Wednesday arrested 15 people and recovered over a thousand kites from them.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2021.