Kite making and flying banned in Haripur
Pile of confiscated kites that were torched by Rawalpindi police. PHOTO: INP
Haripur Deputy Commissioner imposed a ban on kite flying and kite making in district Haripur under section 144 and started a crackdown against the kite makers.
After the enforcement of the ban on kite flying and making, the district administration and Haripur police have started joint action against the violators and seized thousands of kites and chemical coated thread. The Additional Assistant Commissioner II also sealed one shop for making kites.
Earlier, the smuggling of kites and chemical wires from the Hazara division, especially from Haripur, to Punjab, had allegedly become commonplace. This was because while kite flying is banned across the country, the activity was yet to be prohibited officially in the Hazara division.
People involved in the illegal business are reportedly making kites at home and sending them to other areas of Punjab, including Pindi, Attock, Jhelum, and Taxila. The Government of Punjab (GoP) has already banned kite flying. However, it is still common throughout Hazara, due to which minor accidents often occur.
Several sources privy to these incidents have confirmed that the business booms in Haripur because it is the gateway to Hazara, and all the borders of Punjab join it.
People make kites and threads in their homes. They also sell their product locally and also supply goods to big dealers coming from Punjab at night. Kites and threads are showcased via WhatsApp videos and photos.
At night, dealers arrive at houses in Haripur with the requisite payment, after which the dealer carries the goods in a private car and leaves for his area. These unchecked chemical-coated thread wires used in kite flying endanger the lives of kite-flyers and those around them.
In addition, due to the ban on kites and chemical strings in Punjab, infamous kite and thread traders openly sell both the items in Haripur. Several buyers also come from adjoining Punjab to Haripur to buy chemical coated yarns and kites.
As the activity continues in the division, young boys are often busy on the rooftop and open spaces. In the previous years, several people have been injured during the kite-flying season, especially in Haripur and Abbottabad, due to metal and chemical threads. Many children have also been injured while flying kites.
Citizens have demanded that the district administration should strictly enforce the ban on chemical threads and kites across the Hazara division. They have further appealed that those who sell these items in the area should be arrested and brought to justice so that no further damage occurs.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2022.