The Punjab government has sparked widespread confusion and accusations of inconsistency with a sharply divided policy on the celebration of Basant. While lifting a strict 25-year ban to permit three days of kite-flying festivities in Lahore, it has simultaneously declared the activity a "bloody" and criminal offense in other major cities, including Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan.
A Tale of Two Policies: Celebration and Criminalization
In Lahore, the provincial administration is hailing its decision as historic and revolutionary. Senior officers of the Punjab Information Department are lavishly praising the move, projecting that Basant in the provincial capital alone will generate business worth a staggering Rs7 billion, create numerous employment opportunities, and usher in record revenues. They have described the Chief Minister's permission as the most significant decision on the matter in fifty years.
Conversely, in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan, a diametrically opposite and stricter policy is in full force. Here, Basant and kite flying have been branded a curse, a serious crime, and a deadly activity. The government has criminalized it with penalties ranging from six months to one year in prison. Legislation has even been introduced allowing for the arrest of a child's father in place of the child, leading to raids, enforcement actions, and the forced entry into homes.
Officials in a Bind: Praising and Condemning Simultaneously
This contradictory stance has placed officials in an awkward position, forcing them to justify what many are calling a "half-and-half" approach. The same Punjab Information Department that daily issues reports glorifying the Lahore Basant as a landmark decision also circulates articles terming the crackdown and arrests in other cities as equally "historic" decisions by the Chief Minister.
The inconsistency is most glaringly visible among provincial parliamentary secretaries. In Rawalpindi, these officials, alongside police and district administration, have been holding awareness rallies against Basant, condemning kite flying and selling. However, the same provincial parliamentary secretary, upon traveling from Rawalpindi to Lahore, begins delivering speeches in favor of Basant, extolling its virtues as a historic festival and a source of record business.
Compulsion Over Conviction
When questioned about this glaring contradiction, one female and one male provincial parliamentary secretary from Rawalpindi candidly stated that it was their compulsion. They admitted they could not issue statements contrary to the party's official policy, highlighting the political bind created by the government's dual stance.
This confusing situation has persisted for the past week and is expected to continue until the three-day Lahore Basant celebrations conclude. The policy has left the public, law enforcement, and district administrations grappling with a confusing message where an activity is simultaneously an economic boon and a criminal act, depending solely on geographic location within the same province.
