Pakistan moves to ban deadly kite flying
Updated
Kite flying is supposed to be fun but in Pakistan it's also assumed a deadly reputation. Each year, people die or are injured by kite strings which have been sharpened with wire or glass, to down a rival kite. In Pakistan's Punjab province, police have arrested more than 1,000 people in a crackdown on people selling and flying kites. And local authorities have now banned the traditional practice of kite-flying during next month's annual spring festival.
Presenter: Nasya Bahfen
Speakers: Haider Sherwani, Kite Flying Lovers Association of Lahore; Sajjad Ahmed, Lahore District Coordination Officer
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BAHFEN: Kite flying's a popular sport in Pakistan - it's a key part of the two day festival known as Basant. But each year people die or are hurt, in accidents involving kite strings. Some of the kite-fliers sharpen their strings with wire or glass - that's so they can cut down a rival kite - yes, the sport is taken very seriously in these parts. But those same sharp kite strings can also cause gruesome injuries and death. Bystanders and civilians, including children, have had their throats cut by the kite strings. Authorities in Punjab province's capital, Lahore, are in a difficult position because the activity is so popular. But there are safety issues. They've banned kite flying for Basant this year. The decision is being protested by groups such as the Kite Flying Lovers Association of Lahore. Haider Sherwani is a member of the association, and a keen kite-flyer. He says kite flying is a critical part of the Basant spring festival.
SHERWANI: Right now, we have been protesting about the ban on kite flying in Lahore. And we have been celebrating Basant in Gujranwala, all the other cities of Pakistan.
BAHFEN: Mr Sherwani knows about the deaths and injuries. He says many kite-fliers are opposed to the dangerous practice of sharpening kite strings.
SHERWANI: Actually accidents happen all the time, in any sports. There are circumstances we also oppose but we protest it and we are against all these things that causes the death of people. But kite flying is - it can be safe.
BAHFEN: Lahore police say the ban is necessary because of the dangers kite-flying poses to the city's population of nearly seven million people. Lahore District Coordination Officer, Sajjad Ahmed, says a ban on kite-flying is necessary to prevent deaths.
AHMED: It is a dangerous sport and not only is there the likelihood but there have been instances where very innocent lives we have been deprived of those and deaths have occurred to innocent children.
BAHFEN: Kite-flier Haider Sherwani believes that instead of banning kites, authorities should crack down on the people who make kite-flying dangerous by putting glass on their kite strings, or flying them with wire.
SHERWANI: The powerful string can be controlled. We do not need such powerful strings to fly the kites. We can ban and we can monitor the manufacturers of the threads.
BAHFEN: He also proposes that members of kite-flying associations report people who engage in dangerous practices with their kites. But going after the dangerous kite string makers is impractical, according to Lahore District Coordination Officer Sajjad Ahmed.
AHMED: This sport is played and participated on every rooftop of the houses - there are not only thousands but millions of cities and houses. This dangerous thread can be manufactured in anybody's home - it doesn't require any industrial setup as such. Therefore you cannot go to every home and house and check it.
BAHFEN: It may sound strange to call flying kites a lethal activity, but in Pakistan's Punjab province, that's exactly what it's become. For now, members of kite-flying associations are celebrating the spring festival in cities other than Lahore, where the ban on kites is currently in force. They hope the ban will be lifted in time for Basant in the first week of March.
