RAWALPINDI: The ban on kite flying seems to have done little to deter residents from engaging in the activity.

A campaign was started in some parts of the city on Wednesday against kite flying which led to 17 arrests and the police seizing 1,680 kites and 59 roles of glass coated string. They also asked parents to stop their children from engaging in the activity.

Not caring for the ban or the campaign, residents of Purana Qila, Arya Mohallah, Waris Khan, Pirwadhai, Naseerabad, Race Course and Rahmatabad were seen flying kites, with youngsters trying to catch falling kites.

The Punjab government had imposed a ban on kite flying and directed divisional police chiefs and district police chiefs across the province to implement the ban.

In line with the government directives, City Police Officer (CPO) Israr Ahmed Abbasi formed police teams to keep a check on violations of the ban.

Station house officers have been asked to keep a check on the activity and to identify and arrest those involved in kite flying.

According to the CPO, women police officers have been asked to search houses for kites and string.

Popular in the subcontinent, kite flying can be a dangerous activity and has led to many deaths and injuries when people fall off roofs chasing falling kites, which has also resulted in road accidents.

A traffic warden in Rawalpindi, 30-year-old Malik Asim was electrocuted to death when he got entangled in metal string used for kite flying. He was trying to remove the string from the balcony of his house in Qasimabad Mohallah, Dhoke Khabba on Jan 15.

Kite flying enthusiasts in the city, on the other hand, say a ban should not be put on the activity. They said the ban should only apply to residential areas and to the use of specific types of string, including metal and glass coated ones.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2017