The Lahore High Court on Wednesday summoned the Special Secretary to the Punjab Chief Minister at 12:30 pm while hearing a petition seeking permission to celebrate the Basant festival across Punjab.
Justice Malik Muhammad Owais Khalid presided over the hearing, during which the court inquired whether the Special Secretary had appeared.
A law officer informed the court that the official was on the way and requested a brief time to appear, adding that a response had already been prepared.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the Punjab government had enacted a law permitting Basant celebrations, but its implementation had been limited to selected areas, particularly Lahore, instead of the entire province.
The counsel contended that restricting the festival to Lahore deprives residents of other cities of their right to celebrate and amounts to discriminatory treatment.
The petition further states that limiting Basant celebrations to one city violates Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality among citizens, and requests the court to allow the festival to be celebrated throughout Punjab.
