Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday has sought reply from Punjab chief secretary, local bodies’ secretary and DC till January 24 in a case seeking end to 12-year-old ban on Basant festival in the province.
During the hearing of a plea against Kite Flying Act, government lawyer told the court that no permission to celebrate Basant has been given until now while a committee has been formed to take this decision.
Meanwhile, the petitioner said that the ban was imposed on Basant after it turned into a deadly festival by taking so many lives.
The petitioner had contended that it was unconstitutional to allow Basant following the Supreme Court’s ruling against it as the ‘deadly’ festival has claimed loss of many lives.
The chief secretary and IGP have not taken sufficient and essential measures to halt the deadly game, and ‘it is the contempt of court’ to not follow the court’s orders, he added.
It is to be mentioned here that Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan announced the government’s decision to lift the Basant ban and that it will be held in the second week of February.
Published in Daily Times, January 16th 2019.
