Bearing in mind that asking someone to go fly a kite would be considered rude and dismissive in many countries, its no surprise that only in Pakistan would such a directive send ripples of joy throughout the land and be hailed as a bit of good thinking on the part of our decision-makers. Sadly, over five years have passed since the prohibition on kite-flying was imposed, yet the people of Pakistan remain deprived of the economic and cultural institution which is (or was) Basant.
Its coming round to that time of the year again when the government appears to shuffle its feet but doesnt really do anything except dump public funds into one meaningless symbol with six expensive syllables Jashn-e-Baharan. No matter how many flowers and advertising the government strews all over the place, the truth is that we were much
happier with just looking up at the sky.
Only a ghost of a memory remains of the energy that built up in the run up to Basant but one remembers that it was never about battling with ones vertigo on a rooftop or going for kite shopping trips to the walled city. Instead, it was the food and the socializing accompanying the event that made it so special. And when else does one get the chance to chase neighbourhood ruffians with hounds and expletives when they trespassed on ones property to grab a falling kite? Those were certainly the good old days.
Although rumour has it that our sarkaar is planning to allow kite-flying for a limited period of time this year, it will take only one aggrieved petitioner, one stay order from the judiciary for our excitement to die out. Still, theres no harm in reminding ourselves that the spirit of Basant is alive and well in the hearts and minds of Pakistanis who know that they will overcome (someday). It is commendable that the government has adopted an institutional approach to working with grassroots level kite flying associations but that in itself is not proper regulation. We should have no doubt as to its ability, but what the government really needs is the willingness to break the backs of those that make Basant dangerous for everyone. The irresponsible string makers and thugs with guns can be dealt with if only our decision-makers would see what they forego when kite flying is prohibited.
Its a shame that Basant has come to be known for the foreign exchange it brought in when visitors from all over the world descended on our shores to partake in the festivities. Maybe someday we can recognize the attraction Basant had for our own countrymen and the domestic tourism it spurred when sanity prevailed.
The doctor may prescribe a dose of happiness for a nation that has faced so many trials and tribulations in the past year but we all know how things go down in Pakistan. Maybe we just dont deserve to be happy.
It appears the real problem here is how this country is being hijacked by a bunch of killjoys out to remove every little bit of happiness we manage to squeeze out of this country. Clamping down on everything that gives people an iota of pleasure seems to be the norm nowadays but there is hardly anything methodical about this state of affairs. Just look at how the government stuck its nose into marriage ceremonies that are essentially private events that merit no interference from the public sector. An industry that generates considerable economic activity for all involved is now threatened by the governments insistence on deciding how we should celebrate, what food we should serve, and worst of all, what time we should finish.
And the latest victims of our governments social protection policies are the sheesha bars that have earned the ire of our decision makers. Instead of prohibiting underage smoking and promoting an adults exercise of free will, the government is expected to throw the baby out with the bathwater by completely banning yet another source of recreation. Where the irresponsible parents and establishments need to be punished, it turns out everyone pays the price for the negligence of a few. Such decisions are expected to exact a heavy toll on our beleaguered nation at a time when we need economic activity to improve our fiscal situation.
We seem to have grown accustomed to the ad hoc approach adopted by the government to remove the last vestiges of happiness in this country. Its not just our traditional festivals that have been affected by the governments policies but almost everything we were once used to. While there is very little done to curb the ills in our public sector institutions, the government has gotten quite adept at trampling over our civil liberties under the garb of austerity or social protection.
The writer is a consultant on public policy.