Shahbaz Sharif Destroys Basant
By Syed Kamran Hashmi
Westfield, IN
In the last seven years, the current Chief Minister of Punjab (CM) Mian Shahbaz Sharif (SS), a man known for his ‘good governance,’ who completed the Lahore Metro Bus project in record time just before the 2013 elections, has not taken a single step to lift the ban on kite flying, a centuries-old tradition that both defines and revives the jubilance of the historical city.
In many ways, Basant, the annual festival of kite flying, like the Mardi Gras for New Orleans, demonstrates the buoyancy of the inhabitants of Lahore, uncovering their fondness for food, music, clothing (or lack thereof in case of former) and fashion, in addition to their passion for kite flying contests with all its chanting, chuckling, giggling, teasing, shouting and, sometimes, even swearing.
From a financial standpoint, even if we leave tradition, culture and joyfulness aside, Basant plays an important role in stimulating the economy of the city. Kite enthusiasts travel from the Middle East and Europe with their families just to attend the festival spending millions of dollars on a single weekend, beating any other local event in revenue generation and job creation. From clothing to electronics and from car rentals to high end catering, local businesses soar to meet the surge in demand. For kite makers, just as Christmas in the West, the profits drawn in the season can reach as high as half (or more) of their annual income without which they may not make the two ends meet, a reality that hundreds of families face today.
So why does Basant still not fall in the list of priorities of the Sharif brothers even when it brings in money and promotes economy? Safety issues notwithstanding, any cultural event in which people get a chance to meet and enjoy few moments together somehow irks the Sharif brothers on ‘moral’ grounds. In their party, only the former Minister of Culture, Sheikh Rasheed - a big mouthed politician once known more for his promiscuity than his interest in art, acting, dance or music - took some interest in promoting such occasions, although kite flying even then could not grasp his attention. After him, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) suffers a great deal, unable to hide its aversion for music, arts, culture, heritage and of course mixed gatherings!
True that SS did not initiate the exercise. Two years before he was sworn in as the head of the province, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, his predecessor, upon the recommendation of the police and local administration had imposed the interdict without giving it a second thought.
I can understand the reason for his apathy towards kite flying. First, the former CM did not belong to Lahore, which meant that kite flying for him did not hold much importance. Second, the politics of Chaudhry brothers depended more upon the ‘external’ support. So, as long as ‘the boots’ stood behind them, they did not care much about the roots (the people), the favorable ratings or their popularity. But, how can we exonerate the Sharif brothers who spent all their lives in Gawal Mandi, Model Town and Raiwind, and rely upon Lahore for their political strength?
To be fair, the recommendation to impose a ban as put forward by the administration holds solid grounds. Lately, the upsurge in the use of metallic cords instead if the usual rice-glue coated cotton thread had resulted in numerous casualties. As the bare metal wires whipped through the air, they essentially turned into sharp edged knives, penetrating deep to the vital organs of the victims. From children to the motorcyclists, and from the street hawkers to the pedestrians, many people got injured, hospitalized, disabled or even killed. Moreover, these metal cords resulted in prolonged power outages, fire hazards and permanent damage to the properties.
However my question is: if given the choice what would a ‘good administrator’ do to take on the challenge? Would he ban it completely; or improve the law, find the criminals and make kite flying safer; or ignore the hazards at all and let the people figure out a solution? I guess you know the answer already: Ban it forever-and that's exactly what SS did.
To put it another way: according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States, “32,719 people died in crashes on roadways during 2013.” Now imagine if Shahbaz Sharif had the responsibility to reduce the number of casualties what would he have done? The answer is simple: he would have used large containers on all the highways, closing them down for public use and sent Punjab Police to take appropriate action. Blockage of the highways would have meant no traffic and without traffic, there could have been no accidents. Problem solved!
Similarly, 761 people died last year in commercial plane accidents all over the world. In this scenario, how would a good administrator respond to save human lives? Of course, he would shut down the airports and seize all the airplanes. He may also incarcerate the pilots, the plane attendants, the engineers along with the aviation staff and may be the travelers. A journey from the USA to Pakistan, after the flight ban, would only be allowed through camels and mules because low to nil ground speed will result in less severe injuries, if any.
On a serious note, we can understand and agree with a short-term ban on kite flying to track down the individuals who engineer and sell metallic cords. We can support a vigorous campaign on public safety and people education too. The administration can also designate restricted areas where kite flying is permitted to further ensure the safety of the people. But, without taking any measures to reduce the untoward incidents and by turning down all requests of the civil society, the self-proclaimed good governance model of SS, which in-fact is a bureaucracy-led-authoritarian regime, is letting an old jubilant tradition die under its watch.
