LAHORE:Jamaat-i-Islami Punjab Ameer M Javed Kasuri has called on the Punjab government to impose a ban on the Basant festival, terming the decision to allow its celebration in the provincial capital as alarming and condemnable.
Addressing a press conference at Mansoorah, Lahore, along with Dr Babar Rashid, Zikrullah Mujahid, Farooq Chohan and Imranul Haq, he said Basant was against social values and posed serious risks to human lives. He demanded the withdrawal of the notification allowing the festival and stated that any loss of life or property during Basant would be the responsibility of Punjab chief minister.
He said if the government insisted on holding Basant, it should be restricted to locations outside the city, as kite-flying within urban areas had previously caused fatal incidents. Kasuri also criticised what he described as anti-farmer policies of the Punjab government, saying the agriculture sector and farmers were facing severe economic difficulties due to high input costs and govt neglect.
