A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court by the Judicial Activism Panel seeking criminal proceedings against responsible government officials over the alleged deaths of six people and injuries to 124 citizens during the Basant celebrations.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the petition states that according to official figures released by the Punjab Home Department, six fatalities were reported during Basant, while 124 people sustained injuries, contradicting the government’s claims of a “safe Basant.”
The petitioner argued that Basant has ceased to be a cultural festival and has instead turned into a deadly threat to citizens. The petition highlighted that dozens of children were injured after falling from rooftops or while climbing electricity poles during kite flying.
It further stated that state institutions failed to prevent the manufacture, transportation, and sale of hazardous metal-coated kite strings, commonly known as “killer string,” which continued to pose serious risks to public safety.
The petition urged the court to order both criminal and departmental action against officials found guilty of negligence. It also requested the formation of a judicial commission to assess the human and material losses caused during Basant.
Additionally, the petitioner sought strict enforcement of laws banning the manufacture, supply, sale, and use of dangerous kite strings, arguing that failure to implement existing regulations had resulted in avoidable loss of life and injuries.
Reporter: Malik Ashraf