LAHORE: As the winter sun brightens Lahore’s rooftops on Friday morning, the city is once again ready to embrace the Basant frenzy after around a two decades long hiatus, with colourful kites adorning the clear sky, contrasting its usual blandness.

The Basant celebrations this year, however, appear to be teetering on the edge as the Punjab government has declared the event as “sensitive”, given the scale of participation and emotional attachment of people to the festival which is returning to Lahore after a hiatus of 18 years.

A large number of people from different parts of the country and abroad have travelled to Lahore filling the hotels and guest houses to their capacity and pushing the rents exorbitantly high. Many other are staying with their relatives and friends, multiplying the Basant joy.

From Friday onwards, Lahorites will be displaying their characteristic zeal, crowding rooftops and streets, fully utilising the three holidays announced by the Punjab government for the Basant celebrations.

As the formal buying of kites and dor’ (twine) began just six days ago, the manufacturers could not match the massive demand, leading to the sky-rocketing prices of the available stock, which prompted the Punjab government to direct the deputy commissioners of four other districts to allow manufacturing of permissible’ kite flying material after registering the makers.

This`permissible’ material was supposed to reach the eager customers in Lahore through the already registered traders and sellers.in Lahore through the already registered traders and sellers.

Youths and children are thronging the markets, particularly in the narrow streets of Walled City to buy kites and `dor’, but their excitement is marred by the reports that the sellers have been left with little stocks which are being sold at exorbitant prices.

A kite buff, Muhammad Nasir, says he has been running from one bazaar to another to buy quality twine and `permissible’ guddas, only to find the material was available at mind-boggling prices – a ‘dor’ Pinna ranging between Rs10,000 and Rs25,000 and kites from Rs500 to Rs1,500. “Basant this time belongs only to the rich,” he laments.

He blames the government for failing to assess people’s frenzy when it comes to the Basant festival and just could not meet the demand. Mr Nasir is jealous of those who procured `dor’ and kites ahead of Basant and are now boasting about their stocks on social media.

An international hotel chain’s general manager, Tahir Malik, told Dawn that every room had been booked for Basant days at rates up to Rs150,000 –five times higher than the normal rates.

He too deplores the shortage of Pinna and guddas in the market, saying a 1000-meter Pinna is being sold at Rs20,000 and 500-meter at Rs12,000. “There will be a lot of kite flying, but for most Lahorites Basant will be more of an experience of festivity, fun, parties, BBQ and music,” Mr Malik comments.

In the wake of high demand for kite-flying material, the Punjab government not only allowed manufacturing in the districts of Sheikhupura, Faisalabad and Multan as well, but also permitted stocks from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K), under the SOPs.

Police raided deliveries from KP and AJK and confiscated the over-size guddas and non-permissible `dor’ to ensure that the Basant festival should be a safe yet jubilant event for all, as envisioned by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

In order to check the unbridled increase in kites and `dor’ prices, provincial minister Bilal Yasin and Home Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi held a meeting at the home department as the chief minister, taking notice of the price hike, had sought that maximum material should reach the city from the districts well ahead of Basant to keep the prices in control. However, the buyers did not find any relief in prices and many returned home with cheap material, mostly to satisfy their children.

Amid the celebratory buzz, the Punjab home department declared the Basant as a “sensitive” event in view of a large number of people travelling to Lahore, massive gatherings at hotels, shopping malls, plazas, commercial buildings, farm houses and private residences, recent specific threat alerts and prevailing law and order situation.

The home department has instructed the Punjab Emergency Service department and all civil and police formations to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Act 2025, the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Rules 2025, Lahore deputy commissioner’s notification, restrictions imposed under Section 144 and guidelines issued regarding kite flying.

In a 24-point security protocol, the home department has instructed strict checking and scanning of all vehicles entering and exiting the city; technical sweeping of venues of celebration; all movements of VVIPs must be fully coordinated, beefing upsecurity at public places, police pickets; check on brandishing of weapons and aerial firing; zero tolerance against one-wheeling; close liaison between law enforcement, intelligence agencies; bomb disposal squads on high alert; deployment of quick response force at suitable locations; pre-emptive actions in view of threats; a comprehensive traffic plan; emergency evacuation, medical and contingency plans with designated hospitals on standby.

For kite-flyers, the Punjab government has imposed a ban on using kites carrying party flags, ’ pictures of leaders, religious places and scriptures, to keep the festival apolitical and safe.

The Punjab government has announced plying buses and rickshaws offering free rides across Lahore during Basant days. In a telling sign of lingering safety concerns, the government, however, instructed the motorcyclists to install protective steel wires to shield themselves from stray kite twine to prevent any tragic incident.

Lahore CCPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana on Thursday reviewed arrangements made to ensure a peaceful Basant and told the officers to obtain surety bonds from the owners of rooftops for compliance with the SOPs, including a zero-tolerance for aerial firing and violations of the Punjab Sound System Act 2015.

It may be mentioned that the government has not formally softened the sound system act during the Basant and it is yet to be seen how the police will respond to the playing of loud music on rooftops.

Meanwhile, Lahore Deputy Commissioner on Thursday evening issued an “addendum notification”, disallowing kite flying in the areas of “Ali View”, falling within the aircraft approach paths of the Allama Iqbal International Airport, on Feb 6, 7 and 8.

This addendum notification has been issued in continuation of DC Lahore’s another addendum notification issued on Jan 30, saying that kite flying shall “NOT” be permitted in the areas falling within the aircraft approach and take-off paths of the Lahore airport, in pursuance of aviation safety requirements communicated by the Pakistan Airports Authority.

The DC has duly notified the areas under the kite flying ban, falling on aircraft’s approach path, which include Nadirabad, Gulshan Ali Colony, Nishat Colony, Bhatta Chowk and DHA’s R, S, P and Q blocks. Similarly, towards the aircraft take-off path, the areas of Al-Faisal Town have been mentioned,

The Basant-related activities will come to a halt at Sunday midnight, when the ban on kite flying across Punjab will again become effective.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2026