LHC seeks reply from chief secretary
Petitioner asks that kite-flying be allowed for 15 days a year.
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought a reply from the chief secretary on a petition asking that the ban on kite-flying at Basant be lifted.
Earlier, the local government secretary submitted, in response to the petition, that the provincial government had been forced to ban kite-flying completely in 2007 in view of the large number of people killed by kite string and the damage done to electricity infrastructure. The lives of the masses could not be put at risk for the pleasure of a handful of people, he said in the reply.
The petitioner, Muhammad Saleem of the Kite Flying Association, has asked the court to allow kite-flying for 15 days in spring, the start of which is signalled by the Basant festival. He said that kite-flying could be allowed under parameters set by the Supreme Court and in light of the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Ordinance of 2001.
The petitioner said the government had acted in violation of the ordinance by imposing a blanket ban on all kinds of kite flying. He said that the ban had left many craftsmen without a means to provide for their families.
Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh adjourned the hearing for two weeks and sought a reply from the chief secretary.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2012.
The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought a reply from the chief secretary on a petition asking that the ban on kite-flying at Basant be lifted.
Earlier, the local government secretary submitted, in response to the petition, that the provincial government had been forced to ban kite-flying completely in 2007 in view of the large number of people killed by kite string and the damage done to electricity infrastructure. The lives of the masses could not be put at risk for the pleasure of a handful of people, he said in the reply.
The petitioner, Muhammad Saleem of the Kite Flying Association, has asked the court to allow kite-flying for 15 days in spring, the start of which is signalled by the Basant festival. He said that kite-flying could be allowed under parameters set by the Supreme Court and in light of the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Ordinance of 2001.
The petitioner said the government had acted in violation of the ordinance by imposing a blanket ban on all kinds of kite flying. He said that the ban had left many craftsmen without a means to provide for their families.
Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh adjourned the hearing for two weeks and sought a reply from the chief secretary.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2012.