Daily Times

Justice Atir Mahmood of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday declined to hear a petition challenging the Punjab government’s decision to celebrate the historic festival of Basant after about 10 years.

The judge refused to hear the petition due to his unavailability at the LHC principal seat.

Advocate Safdar Shaheen Pirzada had moved the petition. He said that a ban on this festival was imposed after loss of a number of human lives especially of children and younth.

He submitted that the government wanted to divert the attention of people from actual issues through such tactics which could be fatal. He said that ban was imposed on Basant as it not only emerged as a festival where lives were lost but also caused a loss of billions to public properties.

He submitted that in the past, many measures were taken for instance, bikers were warned to fix long wires with their motorcycle handles to protect themselves from kite strings. He said that even after observing and strictly abiding by all such measures, a number of people lost their lives.

He submitted that now Basant could again cause loss of more innocent lives. He said that such a festivity that causes loss of lives was violation of the Constitution, which guaranteed the protection of lives.

He requested to set-aside the decision of the provincial government to protect innocent lives and imposition of ban on Basant be maintained.

Published in Daily Times, December 21^st2018.