Kite association defies Basant ban
The Kite Association of Rawalpindi and Islamabad has rejected the heavy penalties under the new act on kite selling and flying on the occasion of Basant, announcing the celebration of 'Basant Night' on February 13 and Basant day on February 14.
On the other hand, the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the City Police Officer (CPO) have issued a strict warning against kite selling and flying, declaring the sport a criminal offence.
Under the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Ordinance, kite flying, kite selling and transportation of kites have also been declared a crime in 2025. The punishment for kite flying will be three to five years imprisonment and a fine to the tune of Rs2 million, while the punishment for kite manufacturing, kite selling and kite transportation will be five to seven years imprisonment and a fine of Rs5m or both punishments will be served simultaneously. Cases against Kite flying and selling have been declared as non-bailable offences.
According to the DC, if a minor child is caught flying a kite for the first time, a strict warning will be issued, if he is caught a second time, a fine will be issued, but will be arrested if he is caught the third time. This time, manufacturing kites and strings and their sale will also be completely prohibited, he adds.
The Kite Association's central Vice President Chaudhry Iqbal says as Basant is a festival, the government should only ban the production of chemical strings instead of registering cases against kite flying.
All factories involved in manufacturing glass-coated string should be sealed and kite flying should be allowed with ordinary strings, he said and made it clear that a ban and punishments won't be accepted.
Terming the announcement of seven-year sentences on a small festival a big joke, Iqbal urged the government to address this formally. "Basant has already been celebrated in the past and it will be celebrated in February."
Meanwhile, the DC has issued instructions to the district police to take punitive action against kite manufacturers, sellers and flyers. He also ordered that the supply of kite strings to Rawalpindi from other cities be stopped.
On the other hand, kite flyers have started selling kites on social media and online platforms due to the restrictions of the district administration. Kite strings are being supplied to every desired house in Rawalpindi.
The Basant campaign has been intensified on social media. This year, kite flyers and the police will come face to face for a month owing to strict restrictions and punishments.