LAHORE, Feb 23: Justice Mian Najamuz Zaman of the Lahore High Court ruled on Friday that a stay against Basant festival could not be granted without hearing the government’s point of view. The court sought reply from the Punjab advocate-general in 10 days on a petition against kite flying and challenged the issuance of the Punjab Kite Flying Rules, 2007.

Muhammad & Ahmad Law Firm moved court seeking suspension of the person who amended the kite ordinance before the verdict of a pending writ petition about the kite ordinance.

The petitioner’s counsel said on Jan 31 the government had issued a statement that nine teams would be constituted to confiscate and destroy chemical string and other hazardous kite-related material, but nothing had been done. He said the Lahore district nazim, the district coordination officer and the chief minister should be held for any kite flying-related causality.

The petition stated that the Kite Flying Rules, 2007, and two notifications allowing kite flying activities, dated Feb 13, 2007, be declared illegal. The petitioner asked the court to recover public money spent on safety wires and advertisements published in newspapers.

Advocate Muhammad Azhar through his earlier petition had assailed the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying (Amendment) Ord, 2007, and called it against public interest. On Feb 7, the court while hearing the petition had sought comments from the CDGL.