RAWALPINDI: Hundreds of kites and string rolls along with sound systems were seized and four people were arrested on charges of kite flying in the jurisdiction of Race Course police station.

On Friday, people were seen flying kites in Tench Bhatta, R.A Bazaar, Naseerabad, Kalma Chowk, Dhari Hassanabdal, Gulistan Colony, Allahabad and Khayaban-i-Sir Syed. Despite tactics used by police to impose the government’s ban on kite flying and monitoring aerial firing, the practices continue in several parts of the Potohar Division.

Furthermore, the Kite Flying Association via social media has announced basant celebrations in the city on Feb 25 and 26. Reports suggest that kite lovers are approaching police and visiting different police stations to get back their kites that were seized during crackdown in different areas. Police, in response are using drones to identify those flying kites so they can be arrested.

Special police teams continued patrolling different parts of cantonment areas. In Rawal Division, the police have registered seven cases under the Kite Flying Act and eight persons have been arrested while 500 kites and seven rolls of string were seized.

City Police Officer (CPO) Ahsan Younis constituted special police teams, headed by SSP Operation Shoaib Mehmood to monitor kite flying through drones. He also urged parents to keep an eye on their children as kite flying has caused accidents in the past.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2021