It is one of Pakistan’s great parties — a joyous spring festival in the southern city of Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, where party-goers crowd on to rooftops under a riotous sky filled with fluttering kites. But this year the age-old celebration of Basant has been cancelled amid worries about killer kites, knife-sharp strings and ominous threats to prosecute teenage ”terrorists”.
On Thursday, the Punjab authorities announced a kite-flying ban, in effect ending this weekend’s festival, after seven recent kite-related deaths. Most victims had their throats cut by sharpened kite strings coated with ground glass or metal filings. The latest to die was a four-year-old boy who bled to death in his father’s arms on Tuesday after their motorcycle was entangled in a kite string.
”A healthy sport is being turned into a game of death,” said Punjab’s Chief Minister, Pervez Elahi, offering a £230 reward for information about vendors who sell glass-covered string. Those responsible for kite-related deaths will be punished under Pakistan’s anti-terrorist laws, he said. By Friday morning, Lahore police had arrested 74 kite sellers and enthusiasts.
Kite flying is a popular passion across south Asia. It became a symbol of liberation in Afghanistan, where it was banned by the Taliban, and acquired a romantic appeal after the publication of The Kite Runner, a best-selling novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini about a pair of kite enthusiasts in wartime Kabul.
Indian and Pakistani youngsters give the pastime a competitive edge through ”kite duelling” — trying to knock a rival’s kite from the air by slicing through his or her string. But the sport, which requires considerable skill, has acquired a dark underside in recent years.
To gain the upper hand, enthusiasts have spurned cotton strings for glass-coated versions, often strengthened with chemicals. The upgraded strings can be as sharp as a knife and have deadly consequences.
Every year the Pakistani press carries gruesome accounts of deaths and injuries caused by kite flying, often of young children or motorcyclists whose throats have been cut by low-flying kites. A ban on sharpened string has been widely flouted and public alarm has steadily mounted.
”This is something of great concern. It gives the entire festival a bad name,” said Yusuf Salahuddin, a society figure who hosts one of the largest Basant parties.
Last year, the Supreme Court banned kite flying with the exception of a 15-day period around Basant. On Thursday, even that window was closed. Muhammad Rizwan, the father of the boy who died on Tuesday, welcomed the move. ”My son’s death has ruined my life,” he said.
The ban will please religious conservatives, who have long condemned kite flying as un-Islamic. — Guardian Unlimited Â