RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi district police have hatched a plan to thwart possible plans to celebrate the banned Basant festival and to check aerial firing.
According to a police spokesman, more than 1,500 police officers were deployed on various rooftops in densely populated areas to control kite-flying on Thursday night and Friday, where they were equipped with binoculars and other means to apprehend law-breakers. flying kites.
Drone cameras would also be used to monitor potential aerial gunfire and the incorporation of chemical string into the kites.
The spokesperson informed that the police have finalized a plan to stop the expected activities that may take place despite the clear ban on Basant.
“Due to the need to protect citizens from any untoward incident, more than 1,500 police officials have been deployed to thwart any plans for Basant and drone operators will monitor potential kite-flying,” he said.
Police officials have reiterated time and again that kite flying is a potentially dangerous sport that can lead to loss of life and those caught regardless of its cost to human life will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Parents, teachers, scholars and civil society have also been asked to play their role in preventing the celebration of Basant.
Rawalpindi police also launched an awareness campaign about the dangers of the risky sport with the help of religious scholars who were asked to make announcements on the sound systems of their mosques about the disadvantages of flying kites.
The police have finalized arrangements for live surveillance of all densely populated areas while all Station House Officers (SHOs) have been directed to ensure strict surveillance of kite sellers in their respective areas.
Police teams are trying to track down and arrest the culprits involved in buying and selling lines and kites through social media.
Monitoring of courier services and passenger vehicles coming from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has also been tightened to seize kites and chemical lines brought into the city for Basant.
It is pertinent to mention here that like last year Rawalpindi Kite Flying Association has declared two separate illegal Basant celebrations in the city and cantonment areas.
Despite the government’s ban on Basant celebrations, the Rawalpindi Kite Flying Association has defiantly announced plans to celebrate the festival. The association has also started preparations for the event. The association also urged kite lovers not to use metal strings when flying kites, highlighting the risks it poses to human lives.
Special Basant nights are also celebrated and the organizers plan to enhance the celebrations by flying white kites on these occasions.
