The city government is preparing a proposal to allow kite flying for one day in some areas as a belated celebration of Basant, which has been banned since 2007.
Officials said that the proposal was supposed to come up at a meeting chaired by the caretaker chief minister on Monday, but was postponed. It is yet to be rescheduled. Caretaker Chief Minister Najam Sethi ordered city government officials to prepare a proposal for safe Basant celebrations at a meeting on Sunday.
Traditionally, Basant is held in the first week of February to herald the arrival of spring, a moment long past this year.
Sethi had criticised the ban on Basant on television a few days ago. Coupled with his demand for a proposal from the city government, his comments apparently triggered rumours on social media that the ban is being lifted, but officials stressed that no such decision had been made.
The Lahore commissioner, the district coordination officer, the Parks and Horticulture Authority director general, the Walled City Project director general and Lahore police officials discussed the proposal after Sunday’s meeting, according to Tariq Zaman, the DCO’s staff officer.
He said that under the proposal, kite-flying would be allowed from 5pm on April 14 to 5pm on April 15.
He said that the plan would be presented to the Punjab government.
PHA Director General Muhammad Mehmood said that the proposal was limited to allowing kite flying at Iqbal Park and Chuna Mandi on April 14 and 15.
The ban on flying kites would remain in place in the rest of the city. He said that the proposal was yet to be finalised, and no decision had yet been made on whether even a limited celebration of Basant would be possible.
Walled City project DG Kamran Lashari said that the proposal was supposed to have been presented at a meeting on Monday, but it did not take place.
Director General of Public Relations Amjad Bhatti said that the Punjab government was only deliberating the possibility of Basant, with no decision made as yet.
City government officials also held a meeting some two months ago to discuss the possibility of allowing Basant celebrations this year, but Lahore police officials scuppered the plan, raising safety concerns.
Such concerns were also raised at the meeting with the acting chief minister, said officials.
In a premature announcement welcoming the lifting of the ban, All Pakistan Paper Merchants Association (APPMA) Vice President Khawaja Nadeem Wyne said that allowing kite flying would be a boon to thousands of unemployed people directly or indirectly attached to the kite-making industry.
He suggested that the Punjab government establish special zones beyond the city limits where people could fly kites all year.
“It would not only strengthen the cottage industry but would help earn much-needed foreign exchange through tourism. Prior to the ban, a large number of foreigners used to visit Pakistan to take part in the kite-flying festival,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2013.