Senior officials privately acknowledge significant concerns about the festival’s potential impact
A large number of passengers board a train at Rawalpindi Railway Station for Lahore on the eve of the Basant festival. PHOTO: ONLINE
LAHORE:
Punjab authorities have finalized elaborate security arrangements for the three-day Basant Festival scheduled from February 6 to 8, marking the first officially sanctioned celebration of the traditional kite-flying event in Lahore after a more than 20-year ban imposed due to mishap fears and growing security concerns.
More than 10,000 police officers and personnel will be deployed across the provincial capital to ensure public safety, Inspector General of Police Punjab Rao Abdul Kareem said. The event has been categorized as “sensitive” due to the expected large gatherings and recent security threat assessments.
Senior officials privately acknowledge significant concerns about the festival’s potential impact. Sources indicate fears that if lives are lost in large numbers – due to violations such as aerial firing, people falling from rooftops while retrieving kites for “pecha” (kite trimming), or neck injuries caused by dangerous kite strings – the administration could face severe criticism from opposition parties as well as public backlash.
These concerns reflect the delicate balance authorities must maintain between responding to public demand for the beloved cultural tradition and ensuring its safety after nearly two decades of prohibition.
A major challenge for the authorities is the unprecedented increase in demand for approved kite flying materials, especially standard QR coded strings. Officials expressed concern that the resulting supply gap has pushed desperate buyers toward banned chemical lines or metallic strings, significantly increasing safety risks.
The seriousness of the problem prompted the interior ministry to issue an emergency notification two days ago, allowing the import of manufactured materials from four districts outside Lahore.
Provincial Minister Bilal Yaseen on Wednesday chaired a special meeting with senior officers, including the interior minister, to expedite the supply of standard materials at affordable prices from other provinces.
Drone surveillance challenges
Lahore has been divided into red, yellow and green zones based on risk assessment, with drone cameras equipped with night vision deployed to monitor crowds, rooftops and traffic junctions.
Live feeds will be relayed to control rooms established in the Commissioner’s office, Punjab Safe City Authority and DIG office.
Sources, however, acknowledged that this poses “the most daunting task” authorities could face, as the high density of kites under Basant can make it almost impossible to pinpoint specific rooftops where string violations are occurring.
Police also fear potential damage to surveillance drones from kite lines or deliberate actions such as targeted shooting.
A QR code system has been introduced for all kites and strings, enabling authorities to track compliance and identify illegal material. Each item must have a unique code associated with registered sellers.
One official said it remains a quagmire how authorities will trace the origin of a rooftop where a kite or string was used in violation of standard operating procedures.
Multi-layer security framework
According to official security instructions issued by the Ministry of Interior to all relevant agencies, the festival has been classified as “sensitive” due to the expected influx of visitors from other cities and the strong emotional attachment of the public to the cultural celebration.
DIG Operations Faisal Kamran, who conducted inspections in key areas including Shadman, Mozang, Mochi Gate and Mall Road on Thursday, hours before the official commencement of kite flying, stressed a zero-tolerance policy for violations.
“Citizens’ safety will not be compromised,” Kamran said, adding that strict action would be taken against those who make kite flying dangerous.
The security apparatus includes mandatory compliance with the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Act 2025, technical screening of party venues by Special Branch, strategic police operations, frequent snap checks, coordinated intelligence sharing between law enforcement and security agencies and positioning of Quick Response Forces as per Lahore’s strategic deployment plans.
Crash and Enforcement Data
The pre-festival crackdown has yielded significant results, authorities said. Over the past 34 days, the police have registered 1,777 cases of violation of kite flying rules, arrested 1,872 suspects, found more than 102,907 kites, sealed 32 illegal manufacturing factories and arrested 293 people for illegal sale of kites and strings.
In the last 24 hours alone, 150 cases were registered across the province, with 157 suspects arrested and 39,667 unlicensed kites confiscated.
On Thursday, Home Minister Punjab Ahmad Javed Qazi reiterated the security instructions issued to the concerned departments and the media.
According to the notice issued by his department, the necessary safety measures to be ensured under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Punjab Kite Flying Act 2025 include a complete ban on the use of metallic, chemical or plastic strings (only cotton strings allowed); kites with religious symbols, political party flags or portraits; aerial shooting and weapons display; kite flying on government buildings, shopping malls and designated sensitive structures; and kite flying from parks, roads or public spaces, with kite flying only permitted from rooftops.
Mandatory safety requirements also include motorcycles equipped with safety bars or protective antennas; kite dimensions limited to a maximum width of 35 inches and length of 30 inches; roof assemblies requiring formal registration and no-objection certificates; and the provision of free public transport to reduce the use of motorbikes during peak hours.
Health and preparedness
The Punjab Health Department has put 13 state hospitals on high alert, ensuring full staffing, emergency beds and diagnostic services. Rescue 1122 has been instructed to maintain full readiness for emergency response.
Bomb Disposal Squads and civil defense personnel will also remain on high alert throughout the festival. In view of the expected heavy influx of vehicles to Lahore, traffic arrangements have also been planned accordingly.
It is worth noting that Inspector General of Police Punjab Rao Abdul Kareem, who took charge recently, personally visited various areas of Lahore to review security arrangements and issued “zero tolerance to violations” instructions to the Lahore Police Command.
