The Punjab government on Tuesday announced its decision to lift the 12-year-old ban imposed on celebrating Basant saying the festival — which marks the arrival of Spring season — will be celebrated in the second week of February 2019.

Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, while addressing a press conference in Lahore, announced the Punjab government’s decision to celebrate the Basant festival — the traditional kite-flying festival of Lahore that was banned by the government in 2007 following increasing deaths in kite-flying related incidents.

Chohan said a committee comprising the Punjab law minister, the provincial chief secretary, and other administrative officials, will be formed to deliberate on the modalities about how the negative aspects of the festival can be avoided and overcome.