Basant festival returns to Pakistan’s Punjab ‘after 25 years’

The Punjab government on Wednesday promulgated the Punjab Kite Flying Ordinance 2025, formally paving the way for the return of Basant — the province’s iconic kite festival.

Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), the ruling party in the province, announced the development in an official post on X.

“Basant is back after 25 years,” the post read.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, in a post on Facebook, also made the announcement, stating that registration had been made mandatory for kite-making and kite-selling and violation of the law could lead to 3 to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs2 million.

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Basant - the spring kite-flying festival - is traditionally celebrated in late January or February, with the peak usually falling in early February, especially in Lahore.

According to a PML-N post on X, children under 18 will not be allowed to fly kites.

Other instructions in the ordinance include:

• The first violation of the law will result in a fine of Rs50,000; the second violation will carry a fine of Rs100,000.
• Shops will be required to display QR codes.
• Each kite will have a QR code.