LAHORE: With the festival of Basant drawing closer, the Punjab government on Monday imposed a ban on the manufacturing and use of kites bearing images of any political party’s flag for 30 days.

In the notification seen by Dawn, the Punjab Home Department notified the imposition of Section 144 prohibiting the purchase and use of kites bearing images of any person, holy scripture, religious place, country’s flag or that of a political party in an effort to “avoid any discrimination or disruption of public order”.

The department said that it had been reported that to disrupt the festival, miscreants may use images of holy scripture, religious places and flags of countries and political parties.

“Only plain, uni-coloured or multi-coloured kites (i.e. gudda or patang) shall be allowed during kite flying in the district of Lahore from February 6 to 8,” the department said.

It asserted that the government had permitted kite flying solely for “recreation and festivity”, while banning “the manufacturing, trade, transport, storage, sale, purchase” of kites bearing pictures, flags and places for 30 days from Monday onwards.

Basant is making a comeback after 18 years, with the festival set to be celebrated in Lahore from February 6 to 8. The festival will coincide with a nationwide protest announced by the opposition on Feb 8.

Under the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Rules 2025, the Punjab government has prohibited flying kites with metallic wire, nylon cord or strings coated with glass or other sharp materials, along with the manufacturing, transport, storage and sale of kites and hazardous strings.

The violators could face three to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs2 million, while those manufacturing or selling banned materials may be punished with five to seven years in jail and fines up to Rs5 million.

On Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had finalised all preparations for the three-day Basant festival, urging people to celebrate it in a safe manner.

Announcing strict safety measures, the chief minister said a comprehensive Basant safety plan had been finalised to prevent accidents associated with kite flying.

“Lahore has been divided into Red, Yellow and Green zones, and only cotton kite string made of nine threads will be allowed. Nylon and metallic strings are strictly banned, with violators facing up to five-year jail terms and fines up to Rs5 million,” she said and added that illegal kite flying, other than the notified dates, would invite imprisonment and fines, while parents and guardians would be held responsible for underage or illegal kite flying.