The traditional Basant festival ended on Sunday night with a loss of life of at least 16 people, 10 in Lahore and six in Faisalabad, and injuring more than 500 in various Basant-related incidents. In addition to human loss Wapda lost millions of rupees following frequent power failures because of use of metallic wire by kite-flyers. Deaths and injuries were mainly caused by incidents of falling from rooftops, throat cutting by metallic string and in attempts of catching stray kites.
According to city police chief Aftab Cheema, one death was caused by celebratory gunshot, while two by electrocution. Police also made 88 arrests for aerial firing and use of metallic wire in kite-flying, he added.
He, however, claimed that overall law and order situation remained peaceful in the city and no untoward incident took place.
On Sunday, one Noman reportedly died in aerial firing in Mozang area while a minor Kashf (4) lost his life when a razer-sharp metallic string cut his throat in Peeko road area.
Another person Arif (30) died due to an electric shock in Islampura while a youth Bilal died after falling from a rooftop in Gulberg area. Another person, identified as Khalid was also electrocuted to death while Mehran Shah who had been injured in aerial firing on Basant night succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
Moreover, four persons were killed on Saturday night in various Basant-related incidents. Body of one Mehmood was brought to Mayo hospital, who according to hospital sources, was electrocuted when he hit a metallic string of a kite touching an electricity wire.
A child Aurangzeb fell from a rooftop and died on the spot in a bid to catch a stray kite. A balloon seller lost his life in Lower Mall area after a speeding vehicle crushed him while he was running after a stray kite.
A child namely Mohammad Amjad lost his life in a similar attempt of catching a stray kite.
The city government, despite all claims, also failed in checking the use of metallic wires. It had constituted as many as 150 teams to check use of metallic wire in kite-flying but could not be fully succeeded.
Frequent power failures were witnessed that suspended water supply to a number of localities in the provincial capital.
As forecast by the met office, the weather remained cloudy and cold while the city received light drizzle in the afternoon, though it had not made much impact on the kite-flying. The city wore a festive look with hundreds of thousands of multi-colour kites of different sizes and shapes flying over the sky throughout the Saturday night and Sunday till the evening.
Jubilant Lahorites in traditional yellow color dresses - both males and females - danced on famous Pakistani and Indian songs and tunes ignoring rain and cold weather conditions.
Aerial firing was a usual phenomenon that bellied all claims of law enforcing agencies to check this dangerous practice, while rivals continued downing each others' kites and raising slogans such as 'bokata'.
Various kite-flying competitions had also been arranged while dance parties and delicious dishes were a special hallmark of the traditional event held each year in the month of February.
Main functions were held in the Walled City at historic Haveli Asif Jah, inside Chuna Mandi; Barood Khana Haveli of Mian Yousuf Salahuddin; Shahi Hammam, Croweaters gallery, PMA Trade Center, Bahria Town, Fortress Stadium, Defence. Basant bazaar set up by Punjab Tourism Department in collaboration with city trade organisations and spring festival arranged by Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) at Race Course were other key attractions.
On Sunday, PTCL in collaboration with a local Urdu daily held a kite-flying competition which was followed by a cultural and musical show in the afternoon.
Many local and multinational companies also hired rooftops of prominent buildings, plazas and hotels to entertain their local as well as foreign guests coming from across the country as well as abroad.
City roads had been beautifully decorated with colorful kites and banners by the PHA, local and multinational companies to advertise their products and services. Pakistan Railways run a special train to carry thousands of people from other parts of the country to the city.
President General Musharraf and first lady Begum Sehba Musharraf, Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool and his wife Rubina Khalid also attended Basant festivities in walled city that had been especially illuminated and decorated for the purpose on Basant night.Punjab Chief Minster Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi attended a function arranged at a rooftop of a building adjacent to Food Street, Old Anarkai. Federal and provincial ministers, foreign diplomats and dignitaries were also in the city to take part in various Basant-related activities.
Earlier on Saturday night, thousands of people took to their rooftops for the traditional kite-flying festival, which was attended by over one million people, marking the start of summer.
Rooftops were in high demand for rentals for the night while all city hotels were packed to capacity due to influx of celebrities from across the country as well as abroad, particularly from Dubai and India.
The festival generated a lot of economic activity and business worth millions of rupees was transacted in just two days.
The festivities that had started from Saturday morning because it was a public holiday continued through till late Sunday evening.
Organisers worked throughout the week to light up over an estimated 15,000 rooftops. Revelers had crowded into public parks, shopping centers and hotels and on to the rooftops of all big buildings.
The festival was brought forward by a fortnight this year due to the onset of Muharram.
OUR FAISALABAD CORRESPONDENT ADDS: At least six people, most of them students, including a minor, were killed and about 30 received injuries in Basant-related incidents here.
Mohammad Nadeem (14) and his cousin Ahmad Raza (8) of Jawala Nagar were crushed to death by Chiltan Express near Samanabad Railway Station while both were trying to catch stray kites. It was reported they were going to attend a marriage ceremony along with their parents at Raja Park.
Umer Mushtaq, student of Class IV and son of a newspaper hawker Mushtaq Ahmad, was electrocuted in Gulshan Colony while flying kite on the rooftop of his house.
Akram Ali (7) was crushed to death by a car as he was trying to catch a stray kite in Saifabad on Jhang Road.
Two out of 32 injured people succumbed to their injuries at local hospitals.
Officials told AFP more than 50,000 people from across the country had arrived in Lahore along with 10,000 other Pakistanis residing in the Middle East, Europe and the United States to celebrate the occasion with friends or relatives.
Hundreds of shops and stalls across the city were selling kites while many multinational companies distributed free kites carrying their insignia.