LAHORE: A sudden shift in the Basant schedule by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announcing holding of the festival from Jan 29 to Feb 7 instead of the official March 12-14 dates, has triggered widespread confusion and anger among kite and twine manufacturers, who say foggy winter weather and production time make the new dates virtually unfeasible.
The backlash has caught the provincial executive off guard, prompting top bureaucrats to work behind the scenes to step in. Sources say the top bureaucrats are expected to brief the chief minister, upon her return from Muscat, on the logistical realities and persuade her to rescind the abrupt January schedule in favour of the previously finalised March dates.
The Punjab government had initially planned holding of a three-day Basant festival from March 12-14, 2027 in Lahore alone and prepared a rigorous regulatory framework for “Safe Basant 2027”.
The Lahore deputy commissioner was instructed to expedite the scrutiny of applications for issuance of licences to manufacture kites, twine and related material for Basant festival. Eventually, the Lahore district administration issued required licences with an expiry date of March 14, when the Basant activities will halt again and ban imposed.
Kite makers claim sharp surge in raw material rates after revised dates; foggy weather may dampen festival
However, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz threw a spanner, while announcing that the Punjab capital will celebrate a 10-day-long Basant festival from Jan 29 to Feb 7 next with a one-day break on Feb 5 to mark Kashmir Day.
Approving the new schedule on Sept 30, the chief minister directed the authorities concerned to make arrangements for the 10-day Basant celebration, describing it as a “gift” for the people of Lahore and a means to promote Punjab’s cultural heritage and the traditions of the provincial capital.
Calling for a rigorous regulatory framework in place, she asserted that success of the 10-day event would depend on strict adherence to safety regulations and responsible behaviour by citizens.
The announcement was initially seen as a major expansion of the cultural festival after the Punjab government revived Basant in Lahore in February 2026 following a prolonged ban.
However, this news gave twine and kites manufacturers the creeps and they expressed their inability to meet the new one-and-a-half-month early deadline.
Explaining the demerits of bringing Basant dates earlier, a twine and kites manufacturer told Dawn that the announcement of new dates had shot up the cost of raw material and making. The manufacturer said the price of a stack of bamboo, called Sarancha, (imported from Bangladesh) had immediately increased from Rs12,000- Rs15,000 to as high as Rs25,000- Rs28,000 and the bamboo for kite-making was not readily available.
The manufacturer said a paper ream’s (having 480 pages) cost increased from Rs3,200 - Rs3,800 to Rs7,000 – Rs14,000; twine thread price increased from Rs2,800 to Rs4,800, Rs5,800 and Rs6,500 depending upon brands.
Similarly, the manufacturer said the kite and twine-makers had also doubled their labour cost leading to very high cost for the licenced manufacturers and they would be compelled to sell the material at even higher cost – and keep the Basant festival away from the reach of most people in Lahore.
The manufacturer said the earlier March dates were highly feasible for manufacturing and arrival of weather suitable for kite flying. He suggested the government to add the Eidul Fitr holidays to the Basant and make it a six-day festival. The month of Ramazan is set to begin from Feb 8 or 9.
When contacted to know about the stance of Lahore district administration, DC retired Capt Ali Ejaz did not respond.
Punjab home secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi said there was a discussion on Basant dates and a consideration that weather would become a little harsh after Eidul Fitr. Hoping that the [earlier announced] March dates would be revived, he said, a summary would soon be moved to the Punjab cabinet for finalisation of Basant dates. “The Lahore deputy commissioner will notify after seeking permission from the Punjab cabinet,” he added.
Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026
