Despite repeated warnings by the government, the Lahore police seem to have failed to enforce the ban on kite-flying in the provincial metropolis. Blatant violations continue as incidents of people getting injured or accidentally killed by the string (dor in vernacular) are reported.

In one such incident, a teenager whose identity is yet to be revealed was killed after the dor slit his throat while he was riding a motorbike near Shadbagh, Lahore. Similar incidents have been reported from other parts of the Punjab also. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif along with the founder-leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, Nawaz Sharif, visited the deceased’s house to express their condolences with his family. They exhorted the police to take stern action against those involved. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also ordered the city police to take all possible measures to check kite-flying and the sale and purchase of chemically coated dor.

For the uninitiated, kite-flying used to be a hugely popular sport in the spring season across the province. The sporting activity would peak on Basant night. Lahore used to be the centre of Basant activities. It would attract people from not just Pakistan but also other parts of the world to participate in the festivity. The sport became controversial with the introduction of hazardous chemicals and other prohibited materials in coating of the string. Eventually, the Lahore High Court slapped a ban on kite-flying. A heavy crackdown was carried out, which proved to be quite effective, albeit for a while. Soon, we began to hear about isolated incidents in which dor had killed a passerby and of a youth falling from a rooftop while flying a kite.

Over the past month, the police have booked 1,330 persons and registered 1,285 FIRs against them. Those arrested include 1,223 violators of the ban on kite-flying, 95 kite sellers and 12 manufactures.

More recently, the police were alerted when people were spotted celebrating Basant in Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. On March 26, Muhammad Shahzad, a resident of Misri Shah, Lahore, was riding his motorbike when the dor that fell in the way cut his throat, leaving him in a pool of blood. He was rushed to a local hospital where his condition was said to be stable at the time of writing this article.

Violations have been reported in other areas of Lahore, chiefly Green Town, Model Town, Ghaziabad, Sabzazar, Iqbal Town, Ichhra, Mozang, Gwalmandi, Kahna, Qila Gujjar Singh and Shahdara.

SHOs of some police stations are reported to have carried out raids and arrested people involved in kite-flying or in the sale and purchase of kites in their respective areas. They claim that over the past five months, a number of FIRs have been lodged against those flouting the ban. They also talk of zero tolerance for the violators.

Farhan Ali, a spokesperson for the Lahore police, claims that a heavy crackdown is being conducted. He says that in the last month alone, the police have booked 1,330 persons and registered 1,285 FIRs against them. Those arrested include 1,223 violators of the ban on kite-flying, 95 kite sellers and 12 manufactures.

Ali says that those involved in the trade, or those found guilty of playing the sport will be dealt with with an iron hand.

The writer is a print and broadcast journalist