LAHORE:
Police have registered a case under Section 322 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code over the death of a 21-year-old man who was killed when a metal-coated kite string slit his throat while he was riding his motorcycle in Nawan Kot area early Thursday morning.
According to the FIR, the incident occurred near Sodiwal Stop on Multan Road around 2:10am. The victim, Yousaf Munir, a resident of Mozang and a medical representative by profession, was returning home from Iqbal Town when the metallic string of a stray kite wrapped around his neck. The sharp-coated wire caused a deep wound, and despite being rushed to Services Hospital by Rescue 1122, Munir was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police said the deceased’s cousin, Usman, identified the body at the hospital, and it was handed over to the family without post-mortem at their request.
Relatives and neighbours gathered at his home, mourning the loss of the family’s sole breadwinner.
“My son was coming home from duty when this happened,” said Munir’s father. “The government must enforce a permanent ban on kite flying. No parent should go through this pain again.”
Following the tragedy, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow and directed the CCPO Lahore to submit a detailed report and take immediate action against those violating the kite-flying ban. IGP Punjab Dr Usman Anwar also ordered a province-wide crackdown against kite flyers, sellers, and manufacturers, warning that no tolerance would be shown for the deadly practice. He revealed that this year alone, police have arrested 5,967 suspects and registered 5,784 cases under the Anti-Kite Flying Act. In Lahore, 1,654 arrests have been made, and over 35,000 kites and 1,700 reels of string have been seized.
