Kites and victory cries fill Lahore skies as festival returns after long ban

Extravagantly coloured kites duelled 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 deaths and injuries to motorcyclists and pedestrians 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.

Families and friends crammed through the night onto the rooftops of the Walled City and other neighbourhoods, flying kites, beating drums and shouting out "bo-kata!", or "hacked!", the victor's cry after severing an opponent’s string.

Abdul Aziz, 57, a self-described kite-flying addict, had been bereft during the ban. "Today, when I dropped the first kite in air, I felt as if there was a space in my life that was now filled."

Sharmeen Mehmood, 55, an avid kite-flyer since she was 10, said the action had been at its most exciting in the darkness, slowing down with dawn as rooftop revellers sought some rest and the wind eased off, but expected to pick up again later.

The government has banned metallic or chemical-coated killer strings. Kites and strings must bear individual QR codes so they can be traced, and motorcyclists must attach safety rods to their bikes to fend off stray thread.

Some 4,600 producers registered with the authorities to sell kites and strings. District government spokesperson Haris Ali told Reuters that rooftops with 30 or more revellers must also be registered, and dozens of roofs had been declared off-limits after inspections.

The festival is an economic boost, with hotels at capacity and families celebrating with big meals.

“According to our estimates, the kite-selling and purchasing business exceeds 3 billion rupees ($10 million) up to Thursday night,” said Ali.

Mian Tariq Javed, President of Punjab Poultry Association, said demand for poultry was as high as during the big Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Fitr.

At Mochi Gate, Pakistan's biggest market for kites and strings, stocks were running out. Kite seller Zubair Ahmed had sold his out his supplies in two days.

"People are reaching out to me with money in hand and asking for strings at any price. Unfortunately, I don’t have it."