LAHORE, PAKISTAN ¨C Extravagantly colored kites dueled above Lahore and cries of victory rang out from rooftops on Friday, as the city celebrated the lifting of an 18-year ban on a spectacular three-day traditional Punjabi kite-flying festival.
The Basant, a festival marking the ?onset of spring, was banned in 2008 after motorcyclist and pedestrian deaths and injuries from ?stray kite ?strings ¡ª sometimes coated with metal to make them more fearsome in mid-air ?battles.
The ban was lifted last year due to public demand, and this year¡¯s festival kicked off at midnight with Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari flying the first kite.
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