Pakistanis are loosing interest in kite flying even after the ban over the celebration of the Hindu festival "Basant" was lifted last month,a survey said. Basant,the festival that heralds the end of winter and the arrival of spring,was banned last year following a Supreme Court order. However,Punjab Governor Salman Taseer allowed celebrations this year and even threw open the gates of his official residence for celebrations. A survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan to explore the level of interest to celebrate Basant among different sections of the population showed that about 62 per cent favoured the ban on the celebrations while 38 per cent opposed it. Of the 2,911 Pakistanis interviewed in the four provinces last month,65 per cent said they had no interest in the kite flying festival. This was up from the 58 per cent who had given a similar response in a survey last year. Interestingly,most people supported the ban because of accidents associated with kite-flying using metal and glass-coated strings and not because Basant is perceived to be un-Islamic. A majority of respondents,51 per cent wanted to celebrate Basant as a spring festival. Only 14 per cent insisted on flying kites. When respondents were asked their views on the recent decision by the Punjab government to lift the ban on kite flying for a day,59 per cent said they were against this decision,while only 13 per cent supported it. The remaining 28 per cent refused to comment. Asked "who is responsible for the loss of lives during Basant",44 per cent of the respondents held the Punjab government responsible,23 per cent blamed the judiciary,16 per cent the general public and 17 per cent blamed the manufacturers of kites. The apex court had outlawed kite flying in 2005 after several people were killed by glass-coated or metal kite strings. Metal or glass-coated strings help cut the strings of rival kites the main objective of the sport but they can catch unsuspecting motorcyclists and children across the throat,at times with fatal consequences. Metal strings also cause short circuits by touching overhead electricity cables,leading to heavy losses for power utilities. Meanwhile,Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered that kite flying should again be banned and anyone flying kites should be dealt with sternly.
