LAHORE, PAKISTAN – Extravagantly colored kites dueled above Lahore and cries of victory rang out from rooftops on Friday, as the city celebrated the lifting of an 18-year ban on a spectacular three-day traditional Punjabi kite-flying festival.
The Basant, a festival marking the ?onset of spring, was banned in 2008 after motorcyclist and pedestrian deaths and injuries from ?stray kite ?strings — sometimes coated with metal to make them more fearsome in mid-air ?battles.
The ban was lifted last year due to public demand, and this year’s festival kicked off at midnight with Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari flying the first kite.
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