RAWALPINDI: A four-year-old girl died after a kite string cut her throat on Dhamial Road on Sunday.

Umm-i-Habiba, a resident of Pir Mehr Shah Town Adiala Road, was returning home on a motorcycle along with her grandfather Altaf Hussain when the incident occurred at about 12:15pm.

The injured was taken to a nearby hospital where she died after three hours.

Tariq Gondal, the investigating officer (IO) at the Saddar Bairooni police station, told Dawn that the family of the girl, who belonged to Bhalwal, was living in the area for over 20 years.

“Some boys were flying kites across the road whose string fell on the girl and cut her throat.” The IO said the girl’s father Khalid Hussain did not want to get a case registered.

The Punjab government has imposed a ban on kite flying and directed the police across the province to implement the ban.

Taking notice of the girl’s death and for failing to implement the ban on kite flying, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif directed the police to initiate legal action against those violating the ban.

The city police officer suspended SHO Saddar Bairooni Khalil Bhatti for his failure to enforce the ban on kite flying.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2017