Killing the Culture and Death of Art by District Kite Flying Association

Click here to Read The Article In Urdu

The culture of Kite Flying is centuries old tradition in Punjab. ‘Basant’ is the biggest and best known festival of Punjab. The association of kite flying with ‘Basant’ became tradition with the center in Lahore which remains the regional hub of the festival throughout the Punjab region. The event was celebrated with kite flying competitions all over the Lahore city. The sky was filled with colorful kites of all shapes and sizes flown from rooftops with strings called ‘Dorr’ which is a special thread with cut glass embedded in it.

This festival gained more and more importance over the years and used to attract people from all over the world. Unfortunately, the event became a controversy as the fundamentalism wiped the norms of tolerance and co-existence in our society. The sports of kite flying and the festival lost its true colors and became a game of death. Since 2006, it has been banned and the ban was imposed formally by making a codified law in the year 2007 albeit against the fundamental rights granted under the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in particular Article 18 and 9 of the Constitution. Followed by the codified law imposing a ban on kite flying the Government of Punjab had promulgated Kite Flying Rules (the “Rules”) in the year 2007 for the purposes of regulating the activities related to kite flying whereby the District Government established a Kite Flying Association (“KFA”).

The basic idea of establishing the KFA was to register the manufacturers, traders and sellers of kites/dorr and to keep the data of all such people associated with the trade/sports of kite flying in whatsoever manner with a view to regulate the activity and make it safer. Under the Rules every person who is in the business of manufacture, trade and storage of kites or ‘Dorr’; and residents of the district who are interested in the flying of kites are entitled to be member of KFA. All the aforementioned categories of persons may apply to KFA for becoming a member at any later point of time and the KFA is bound to grant membership to such applicants. The District Government was made responsible for supplying copies of the membership form (i.e. Form-E as prescribed in the Rules) to the KFA.

Sadly, KFA is being used as a weapon for curbing the thous ands year old culture of Lahore (i.e. Basant) and killing the art of kite manufacturing. The malice of the government is evident from the fact that the stake holders (specifically the most affected segment i.e. home based kite manufactures) were deprived from membership of KFA and the District Government has refused to issue the membership forms. The issue has been taken up with the District Government and even at the time approximately more than 300 applications are pending on which the District Government is reluctant to take any action.

It is very comic that the first elected body of the chosen people were selected out of couple of half dozens first inducted members. After the first induction the membership of KFA was closed for all the stakeholders. The spirit of the Rules was thrown to winds by not inviting applications from public specifically the poor home based workers who were associated with the business of kite manufacturing and whose rights were most infringed. Since the establishment of KFA the periodical yearly elections were deliberately not conducted and as a result the dummy president and some other designation holders of KFA were portrayed to destroy the festival, culture and art. It is vital to mention here that the District Government shall conduct elections of the management committee of the KFA, before the start of a subsequent calendar year. The fundamental rights of citizens of Lahore and the persons associated with the trade of kite flying are being violated by depriving them from being the member of District Kite Flying Association.

Kite Manufacturers Fundamental Right to be member of KFA

Membership of KFA is the legitimate dem and of Kite Manufacturers.

Killing the Culture and Death of Art by District Kite Flying Association - Khalid Zafar & Associates