LAHORE: Government of Punjab has announced to lift ban on ‘Basant’ festival in Lahore on Monday.

Rana Masood, the Education Minister of Punjab announced that the decade-long banned festival ‘safe Basant’ will be held in February.

“The long awaited festival would entertain Lahorites at designated places in the provincial capital,” the minister added.

Earlier in August, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted an eight-member committee, led by MPA Zaeem Qadri, for revival of Basant in Lahore, DailyPakistan reported.

The Terms of References of the committee were to come up with well-considered proposals for the revival of Safe Basant, examine the proposal in the light of its touristic potential, and devise a workable code of conduct of regulations for the subject activity.

In 2005, the Supreme Court had banned the spring festival over a number of deaths caused by the use of sharp and glass coated strings.

Several petitions challenging the ban were dismissed by the court.