Lahore (Urdu Point / Pakistan Point News – 6 March 2026) Lahore The Supreme Court (LHC) on Friday referred a petition seeking permission to celebrate Basant festival across Punjab to the district chief secretary, directing him to review the matter and take a decision within 60 days.
Judge Malik Muhammad Owais Khaled announced the provisional ruling while deciding the petition submitted by citizen Ashba Kamran.
The court had reserved its ruling a day earlier, after hearing the arguments of both parties.
The court ordered the Punjab Chief Secretary to conduct a detailed review of the issue and determine whether allowing Basant celebrations in Lahore only while denying the same permission to other areas amounted to discriminatory treatment.
The judge noted that the decision must be made in light of Articles 25 and 4 of the Constitution, ensuring equality before the law and fair treatment of all citizens.
The court also ordered that petitioner Ashba Kamran be given an opportunity to be heard before taking any final decision.
It also ordered that a report on the decision taken by the Chief Secretary be submitted within two months to the Deputy Registrar (Judicial) of the Lahore High Court.
In her petition, Ashba Kamran alleged that the Punjab government had enacted legislation related to Basant celebrations but allowed kite flying only in Lahore, depriving citizens of other districts of the same opportunity. She said that instead of restricting the festival to Lahore, Basant should be allowed to be celebrated uniformly across the province.