LAHORE: Lashing out at the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for giving a protest call on Basant, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz says the common people completely rejected the calls for protests and strikes made by the wealthy.

“The call for strikes failed completely and no shutdown occurred anywhere in Punjab. Gen Z adopted positive behaviour by rejecting negativity and abusive language.”

The chief minister stated this in a televised address on Monday.

She gave credit of the revival of Basant to her father PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.

Lauds Gen Z for positive behaviour, rejecting negativity, abusive language

“I thank Nawaz Sharif for giving the vision of uniting people through festivals and celebrating happiness together. The revival of Punjab’s great culture is credited to the people of Lahore. The three-day Basant festival brought back joy not only to Lahore but across Pakistan,” the CM said in a televised address on Monday.

She also lauded police and 15 other departments for their collective efforts to make Basant festival a success.

“I felt immense happiness seeing Lahorities celebrating Basant. The Gen Z visited the Walled City of Lahore for the first time, leaving behind laptops and iPads to celebrate joyfully. Basant is a festival that connects hearts, and people were given the opportunity to celebrate freely,” she said.

She said the entire government worked as one team and commended the IG Police, former IGP Dr Usman Anwar, Commissioner, CCPO, DIG, DC, all assistant commissioners and their teams. She also appreciated Safe City authorities for real-time rooftop monitoring and lauded PHA DG Raja Mansoor for beautifying the city and creating a festive environment for Basant. She also thanked the Transport Department and Lesco for their support.

A large number of high commissioners, consuls general and diplomats visited Lahore to celebrate Basant. International media not only covered the festival but also highlighted the positive image of Punjab and Pakistan through prominent headlines, she said. The CM thanked the media for their comprehensive coverage, saying it helped people recognize Punjab’s rich history, culture and heritage.

She said the Basant festival strengthened Punjab’s cultural identity and added that it was encouraging that no motorcycle was seen without a safety rod.

“Around 9,000 to 10,000 motorcycles were geotagged and alerted for missing safety rods, after which riders voluntarily installed them. This reflected a change in public regarding respect for the law and the emergence of a disciplined society.”

She said the people from Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan came to Lahore to celebrate Basant.

“Not only rooftops, but hearts of Lahore’s people were also connected. The people set aside differences and connected with one another.”

Ms Maryam said Lahore fully complied with government SOPs, and for the first time, no incident of throat-slitting by kite string was reported during kite flying. She said 2.6 million people benefited from free transport while one million vehicles entered Lahore during Basant.

“The revival of Basant revived Lahore’s culture, and it was heartening to see smiles on people’s faces.She said Basant became a good source of income for people ahead of Ramazan, adding that tickets were unavailable from Karachi to Lahore due to high demand. Despite the entry of one million vehicles, traffic management remained exemplary, she said and added that 200 clinics on wheels and 25 field hospitals were deployed for public service.

The CM said that despite millions stepping out during Basant, no incident of harassment against women was reported. She recalled that no kites were visible in the sky until midnight on Feb 5, and after midnight, the sky filled with kites.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2026