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Although Basant “travels” throughout Pakistani Punjab it is Lahore which made it popular not only in Pakistan but all over the world as the largest kite festival. Unfortunately there are accidents and even deaths during the festival each year because of the public’s ignorance towards the use of banned strings and also gunfire.

As a result, in 2005, kite flying has been banned in Pakistan. Violent protests have occurred outside the Pakistani Supreme Court house, and further protests are planned. Despite the ban on kite flying one can see hundreds of kites every afternoon and evening on Lahore’s sky and the number of kites is even higher on Sundays and public holidays. Kite flyers compete to cut each others kites loose. In the past strings were coated with a slurry of fine glass shards which allowed one flyer to cut another’s kite lose.

Today wire coated with glass has become very popular with such strands of wire killing more than nine people this last year (2009) in Lahore alone. Days later one motorbike rider died after his throat was slit by a piece of kite wire hanging from a pole on the roadway.