Basant was never an enclosure.
It was never a ticket.
It was never a gated experience.
Basant is a rooftop festival—born in homes, shared with neighbors, carried by wind across Lahore. Turning it into a paid, fenced, selectively permitted activity is not “safety.” It is commercialization disguised as control.
The Punjab Government has allowed Basant across Lahore for a defined period with safety SOPs. Once that permission exists, a housing authority does not acquire the power to override culture, law, or basic civic freedoms inside private homes.
The Core Issue: Authority vs. Jurisdiction
DHA Lahore is not a city-state. It is part of Lahore and falls under Punjab Government jurisdiction. When the state permits an activity citywide, a society cannot selectively criminalize the same activity inside residents’ private premises—especially while monetizing it on its own land through ticketed events.
If kite flying is deemed safe inside DHA Phase 9 Prism or Raya after charging PKR 3,000 per person, it does not magically become unsafe on a resident’s rooftop across the road.
That contradiction alone collapses the safety argument.
