RAWALPINDI: To promote awareness of the dangers of kite flying, the local police and traders held a walk in the downtown city area of Banni on Sunday.

On the other hand, the police continued its crackdown on kite flyers and arrested 62 people besides seizing over 5,500 kites.

Since the police launched the crackdown, thousands of kites and strings have been seized.

Led by SHO Banni Chaudhry Akhtar and members of the traders’ union, the walk started from Banni Chowk and ended at Asghar Mall in the afternoon. It is for the first time that the police are taking the matter seriously and making all-out efforts to check kite flying in the city.

“It was an attempt to make the citizens realise the dangers of flying kites and violating the ban on sale and flying of kites,” SHO Akhar told Dawn.

Banni police and local traders hold walk to promote awareness of kite flying dangers

He said the police intercepted a van in which a large number of kites had been brought from Haripur to Banni area on Saturday night.

“Due to the strictness by the police, people have been bringing kites from different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Haripur and Mansehra. Kites are mostly manufactured there and sold in Punjab,” he said, adding kites were also brought to the garrison city from Zia Masjid area in Islamabad.

Another police official said smuggling of kites continued from KP because there was no ban on manufacturing and selling of kites in the province.

He said the kite manufacturers/sellers had invented novel ways to skip the police and deliver the kites to their customers. The persons who want to buy kites directly contact the manufacturers in KP who dispatch the consignment and ensure its home delivery after receiving the money.

He said the kites were also brought in passenger wagons through the motorway after midnight.

However, the Banni police claimed that there had been no stock of kites in its area. Since the police recovered a large number of kites during a raid in the Pirwadhai area on Friday and continued arresting kite flyers, the citizens have become more careful, he added.

Policemen in plainclothes have been patrolling in Arya Mohallah, Sadiqabad, Banni, Purana Qila, Kartarpura and public parks. Besides, ladders were being used by the police to check the rooftops of houses from people mostly used to fly kites.

Since the Punjab government directed the police to strictly implement the ban on kite flying, the police have made several arrests after registration of cases and seized thousands of kites.

The police set on fire hundreds of kites seized during the ongoing crackdown on Saturday.

A police spokesman said 62 cases had been registered against kite flyers and as many people arrested during the last 24 hours.

Published in Dawn February 13th, 2017