Kite-flying festival Basant returns to Lahore after 19-year ban.

Brightly coloured kites filled Lahore's skies this weekend as the Basant festival returned after a 19-year ban and ran for three days under tighter safety measures.

Brightly coloured kites filled the skies of Lahore this weekend as the Basant kite-flying festival returned after a 19-year ban. Families and groups gathered on rooftops, in parks and on streets for a three-day event. The ban, introduced in 2007, followed fatal accidents linked to glass-coated kite strings and celebratory aerial gunfire. This year's festival proceeded under stricter safety measures and official monitoring. Key facts: - The Basant festival ran for three days in Lahore after a ban lasting about 19 years. - Crowds gathered on rooftops, in parks and on streets, and kite fighting was a main attraction. - Authorities said the 2007 ban followed fatal injuries and deaths caused by glass-coated "manjha" strings and aerial gunfire. - Officials deployed police, placed hospitals on alert, monitored kite sales (including using QR codes) and confiscated banned materials. - Some official events were cancelled after a suicide blast at an Islamabad mosque killed 31 people; kite sellers and workshops reported a marked rise in sales, with one maker saying he sold 20,000–25,000 kites. Summary: The event revived local kite-making businesses and drew thousands of participants while authorities emphasised enforcement of safety rules. Undetermined at this time.