LAHORE: All is set for a three-day Basant festival in Lahore from February 6 (today) for which all necessary arrangements have been finalised both by the individuals and organisations at different parts of the city.
The walled city of Lahore has become a centre of Basant activities, as different events have been planned there. The Basant activities will start after midnight on Friday and continue till February 8 (Sunday).
The Punjab government’s decision to lift a ban on the historic event after 18 years has received a warm welcome from the people. The Punjab government has put in place strict regulations to ensure safe Basant. Only cotton string is allowed to be sold for kite-flying during Basant, whereas the manufacturing of metallic string material and kites exceeding fixed sizes is strictly prohibited. The provincial government has also imposed a ban on the manufacturing of kites bearing images of any person, Holy Scripture, religious place, country’s flag or that of a political party. The police are making arrangements to ensure safety of the people on Basant.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has already announced a “long weekend” declaring a “provincial Basant holiday on the 6th, followed by Saturday and Sunday.”
It may be noted that Basant festival was banned in 2007 in Punjab because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders, as well as by celebratory gunfire.
As per Met office forecast, mainly dry weather with clear skies is expected on 6th and 7th February, while dry weather with few cloudy conditions on 8th February, 2026 in Lahore during the Basant 2026. Light westerly/north-westerly winds were likely to blow at the speed of 10 to 15 kilometres per hour, which was “suitable for safe kite-flying.”
Although, people are complaining about soaring prices of kite-related commodities, but huge sales worth millions of rupees were made during the last few days in Lahore.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is monitoring the situation and taking all out measures to ensure safety of people. Drone cameras will be used to ensure security and protection of citizens. All the street activities are being monitored from Safe City through drone surveillance.
The CM also visited a Safe City office in Lahore, which was being used as Basant control room.
The chief minister said that Basant was a festivity that was “exclusive to Punjab and we have witnessed how passionately people used to celebrate it”.
Moreover, the CM has taken notice of an incident in Rawalpindi in which a young girl was injured due to kite string. She has sought a detailed report from the Commissioner Rawalpindi.
The chief minister reiterated that Basant will be celebrated only in Lahore, while kite flying remains strictly banned across the rest of Punjab. She stressed that the use of prohibited and dangerous kite string must not be allowed to turn a festival of happiness into a tragedy. The CM directed the authorities to ensure strict enforcement of the law and to take action against those involved in the use and sale of banned kite string to safeguard public lives.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026