LAHORE: The Punjab Home Department on Wednesday submitted a report to the Lahore High Court (LHC) confirming that 17 people died during the recent three-day Basant festival in Lahore.
The festival, held from February 6-8, marked the revival of the event after an 18-year ban, with strict safety regulations in place. Despite these measures, the report noted over 100 accidents occurred during the celebrations.
According to the report, three people died from electrocution, two from falling off trees, and 12 from falls off rooftops. The court had also requested data on injuries caused by kite strings, but the petitioner’s lawyer, Advocate Azhar Siddique, said this information was not provided.
Earlier, the LHC had summoned a police report on deaths and injuries while hearing petitions challenging the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Ordinance 2025, which governs kite flying under strict safety rules.
The festival had been banned in 2007 due to fatalities and injuries caused by sharp kite strings and celebratory gunfire. Under the revived 2025 ordinance, only thread-based strings are allowed, while metallic, chemical-coated, or sharp strings are banned.
Additional safety measures included dividing Lahore into three monitored kite-flying zones, installing protective wires on motorcycles to prevent neck injuries, and banning rooftop alcohol consumption and aerial firing.
After the festival, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif praised authorities for a “safe Basant,” highlighting that no deaths were reported from kite string injuries.