No evidence of kite-string involvement in Lahore injury case, police clarify

Investigators say the victim issued differing accounts about how the wound occurred

LAHORE:

A 22-year-old man was injured in Lahore’s Green Town area on Sunday in an incident initially reported as a suspected kite-string injury, amid growing vigilance as the Basant season approaches.

The injured man, identified as Owais, was travelling to work on a motorcycle when his throat was wounded. He was shifted to Jinnah Hospital, where he was provided medical assistance and later admitted to the surgical ward. Hospital officials said his condition was stable.

The case initially raised concern over the possible resurgence of hazardous kite-flying practices, which have historically resulted in serious and fatal incidents in the provincial capital.

However, Lahore police later said preliminary findings did not support claims that the injury was caused by a kite string.

Read: PA passes Kite Flying Bill 2025 with tough penalties

A spokesperson for the DIG Operations Lahore termed reports circulating in sections of the media “factually incorrect”, adding that the incident should not be linked to kite flying in the absence of evidence.

“The injured individual was not hurt due to a kite string,” the spokesperson said, noting that no kite string was recovered from the site.

Police said the injured man gave contradictory statements about how he sustained the wound. In one account, he alleged that a friend attacked him, while in another he claimed that a kite string caused the injury.

According to investigators, the man is allegedly a drug addict and bore old injury marks caused by sharp-edged objects, suggesting prior unrelated incidents.

“All available evidence does not confirm the kite-string narrative being aired,” the spokesperson said, adding that the matter was being examined from multiple angles and further legal action would be taken once facts were established.

Police urged media outlets to avoid linking unverified incidents to kite flying.

Commenting on enforcement measures, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said Lahore police had registered 1,850 cases against illegal kite flying so far this year.

“There is zero tolerance for those who endanger citizens’ lives,” he said, adding that police remain active in their campaign to curb the practice across the city.