LHC directs govt to respond to petitions against Basant festival

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday directed the Punjab government to submit comments on petitions challenging its plan to celebrate Basant festival in the province.

A bench of the court directed the government to submit its response on the petitions until Jan 24.

A state lawyer informed the court that the provincial government had yet not decided to celebrate the festival and that a committee on the issue had been constituted.

Earlier, the Punjab government had announced to lift a ban on Basant festivity and said that the festival will be held in February.

Subsequently, a number of citizens took the government to the LHC against its decision to lift the ban, pleading that any festivity at the expense of human lives should not be allowed.

They requested the court to strike down the government’s decision to hold the festival in the province.

Basant festival was banned across the province after throats of several motorcyclists and others were cut with kite flyers’ sharp glass and chemical coated strings.

In 2005, the Supreme Court had also banned the festival over deaths caused by the use of sharp and glass coated strings.

Several petitions challenging the ban were dismissed by the court.