Kite flying, strings sale banned for 2 months to save lives in Karachi

KARACHI: Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Saleem Rajput has imposed a two-month ban on kite-flying to reduce tragic incidents related to deadly loose kite strings and ensure the safety of citizens, Geo News reported.

“Under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), the production, sale, and operation of kites have been prohibited throughout the city from March 30 to May 29,” the commissioner said in a statement.

He said this decision was made in response to the use of hazardous metal strings during kite flying, posing significant risks to the safety of citizens.

The commissioner said that eight people have been injured so far due to kite flying accidents. Recent incidents of injuries caused by kite-flying metal strings have prompted authorities to enforce the ban.

“Kite-flying can prove extremely dangerous for citizens, and this step has been taken to safeguard the valuable lives of citizens,” the commissioner said.

The city government, according to sources, hopes that this ban will lead to a reduction in kite-flying incidents and ensure the safety and security of the city's residents.

A young man from Karachi was hospitalised following a severe injury caused by a loose kite string in the Azizabad area on March 27. According to a statement issued by the police, the 20-year-old, identified as Awais, was riding a motorcycle when he became entangled in a kite string in Azizabad.

Similarly, falling prey to the killer string, a minor boy was rushed to the hospital after getting injured by a loose kite string while riding a motorcycle with his father in the Nazimabad area.

Facing a similar menace, the Punjab police have also doubled up their clampdown on kite-flying across the province following the tragic death of a young man in Faisalabad under similar circumstances.

These incidents propelled Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to crack the whip on the production, sale, and purchase of chemicals used to make kite-flying strings that act like razor-sharp blades and can kill people.