Pakistani PublicFfights for Their Right to Kite

Most of us don’t really think about kites a lot, not that they’re boring, but a lot of us see them as useful only on a particularly windy day or for entertaining children. To some cultures, however, such as Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, kites are popular enough to be used for a common type of sport called Kite Fighting.

Rather than using the kites to attack people, though that does happen (accidentally or otherwise), these kites are designed with metallic lines or sharp blades, in order to literally cut the competition out of the air.

The problem was that people kept getting hurt. Lines from these kites would end up tangled across roads, and the metal lines could end up giving their users a nasty zap when hitting the Pakistani power mains.

Because of this danger, the kites were banned in 2007. However, efforts are now being made to bring this sport back into the public way of life. Organizations such as the Lahore Kite Flying Association have been pushing to have the sport legalized in certain areas at certain times of the year, but opposition remains strong.

On one hand, kites are a lot of fun, and this looks like a sport that many of us could enjoy. On the other hand, most of us probably don’t like the idea of being hit by a flying knife blade. Whatever the outcome, let’s hope that less dangerous alternatives can still be enjoyed by everyone.

Photo Credits: Don Mammoser Shutterstock