Situational Analysis book.qxd

Transcription

A study compiled by Kishwar Sultana
This study is a publication of HomeNet Pakistan under the project
“Empowering Female Homebased Workers: A Project for Kite Makers” funded by The Asia Foundation.
Situational Analysis of the Kite Makers
Table of Contents
Glossary.............................………………........…………….……….…….5
Forward …..………………………………......……………….…………..7
Summary .....….……………………………………………….…………..9
Background ………………………………………………….…………..11
Methodology...........................…………………………….……….…….13
Women in Kite-making Industry..……….…………….……….……. 17
Kite Making Process……………………..……………..………….……19
Ban on Kite-making…………………....…………………….………….21
Stakeholders Views …………………..……………………...………….23
Case studies...............……………….………………………...………….25
Recommendations……………..…………………………………….…..29
Glossary
HNP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HomeNet Pakistan
HBWs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Homebased Workers
TAF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Asia Foundation
IDIs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In-Depth Interviews
PML-N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pakistan Muslim League (N)
LHC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lahore High Court
APPMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All Pakistan Paper Merchants Association
ILO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . International Labour Organisation
FGD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Focus Group Discussion
EOBI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution
CEDAW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women
WAPDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Water and Power Development Authority
KII. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Key Informant Interview
5
Foreword
HomeNet Pakistan is a network, comprising of membership-based organizations representing
the majority of home-based workers (HBWs) across Pakistan. HomeNet Pakistan envisions a
society in which home-based workers are ensured visibility, recognition, legal and social protection, and a decent standard of living.
HomeNet Pakistan, as a member of HomeNet South Asia, strives to empower home-based
workers to realize legal economic, political, and social rights by strengthening their respective
organizations, adopting fair trade practices, resulting in the improvement of their working and
living conditions, thus ensuring that home-based workers have security of income and participation in governance related to their concerns.
An estimated 50 million people out of 151 million are currently living below the poverty line
in Pakistan and this level is rising sharply, as per ILO and other private organisations. There are
12 millions homebased workers in Pakistan out of which 22 per cent are below poverty line. The
capacity of the poor to improve their living conditions is constrained by their powerlessness
within political and social systems and is linked to inappropriate government policies, no access
to information and resources, poor quality of social services, and gender inequality.
It is also increasingly evident that women and girls in poor households bear a disproportionately high share of the burden of poverty. Their greater deprivation is due to a host of factors,
including restricted mobility, lack of education and training, lower access to or ownership of
resources and assets, and limited access to credit and social services. As a result, Pakistani
women have limited participation in decision-making in all spheres of life - from family to state.
This is, however, a vicious circle which persists because women have no say in decisions
affecting their economic and social status in the society.
Pakistan has a very large informal sector in which 20% growth was recorded in 2007. According to a conservative estimate in 2007, out of $160 billion size of country’s economy, $32 billion
plus is in the informal sector. An approximate assessment shows that 32% of the informal workforce is in the wholesale and retail business, 21% in the manufacturing sector, 17.5% in community and social sector, 13.8% in construction and 11.1% in the transport sector. This estimate
includes both urban and rural areas.
The informal sector comprises of small units that produce goods or services with the primary
objective of generating employment and incomes for the families engaged in these activities.
Informal activities have often been characterized by low levels of capital, skills, diminished
access to organized markets and technologies; low and unstable incomes as well as poor and
unpredictable working conditions. Such activities are often outside the scope of the government
regulations and statistical enumeration, eluding the formal system of social protection.
The Constitution of Pakistan under article 34 provides “Full participation of women in national life”
and “Freedom of trade, business or profession: Subject to such qualifications, if any, as may be provided by
law, every citizen shall have the right to enter upon any lawful trade or business” in article 18 and under
article 37 provides “………….. Provisions for securing just and humane conditions of work, ensuring that
children and women are not employed in vocations unsuited to their age or sex, and for maternity benefits
for women in employment”.
Thus entitles every citizen of Pakistan to have access to opportunities and resources. There has
been lack of progress in reducing gender inequalities, particularly due to weak political commitment and gender-blind macroeconomic frameworks. The bitter fact is that 50 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, rate of inflation exceeds 22 per cent, interest rate is 17 per
cent in practical terms and half of the population is deprived of social services.
7
The “Situational Analysis of Kite makers: A Pilot study” by Kishwar Sultana commissioned by
The Asia Foundation , has been done with a view to examine the effect of the ban on the women
home based workers in the kite-making industry in Lahore and Jhang. The ban on kite-making
resulted in these women being largely unemployed. The women home based workers involved
in kite making being unskilled in other areas, are the ones suffering economically, socially due to
the ban on “kite flying”.
The purpose of this analysis is to (i) examine the current (post-ban) situation of women kitemakers, (ii) underline the economic disparities, economic situation and vulnerabilities including
the level of exploitation of the women workers (iii) make recommendations for enhancing social
and economic status of the workers involved in the kite-making sector/trade and (iv) suggest
actions for policy makers and relevant stakeholders to revitalize the sector.
Ume Laila Azhar
HomeNet, Pakistan
April 2013
8
Summary
makers can be found. This study aims to highlight the
socio-economic vulnerabilities of the female kite-making labor force in Lahore and Jhang. Kite-makers from
Lahore and Jhang are the subjects for the compilation
of this report. Information in this report has been
acquired through Key Informant Interviews of key
stakeholders including dealers, shopkeepers, and kite
flyers. In-Depth Interviews (IDIs), Focus Group Discussions, observations from concerned forums highlighting conditions of kite-makers and the role and
policies of authorities concerned, secondary data
(such as news items, rules and policies) have been
used to prepare this situational analysis.
This study also examines the production and consumption process (time involved in processing kites,
buyers, terms and conditions for processing the products, frequency of orders for the products, process
involved in the sale of products, prices or incomes
from the product, mode of payments, margins and
profits for kite-makers), the involvement of family
members in kite-making, and related issues of
employability, harassment, increase in the vulnerability and violence. It provides an overview of how the
The objective of this study is to examine the effect
of the ban on the women workers in the kite-making
industry, and offer recommendations to improve their
rapidly deteriorating quality of life. The ban on kitemaking resulted in these women being largely unemployed. Being unskilled in other areas, they were the
ones who bore the economic brunt of the ban.
This study aims to recommend means of enhancing the social and economic status of these workers
and giving suggestions to policy makers and relevant
stakeholders for nurturing better conditions for the
kite-making sector as an organized source of income
generation. The purpose of this analysis is to (i) examine the current (post-ban) situation of women kitemakers, (ii) underline the economic disparities, economic situation and vulnerabilities including the level
of exploitation of the women workers (iii) make recommendations for enhancing social and economic status of the workers involved in the kite-making sector/trade and (iv) suggest actions for policy makers
and relevant stakeholders to revitalize the sector.
To compile this study, Home Net selected two districts, Lahore and Jhang, in Punjab where ex-kite-
Map of District Lahore
9
kite-making despite being an
Map of District Jhang
informal sector of economy has
been largely contributing in the
economy of Pakistan. It explains
how with this informal sector of
economy thousands of people in
Pakistan as home based workers
particularly women were associated and used to earn their livings from this sector. This brief
study will explain the kite-making process, the labor involved,
wages, and living conditions of
those workers, demands and
aspirations of those workers. It
will examine how the ban affected the already vulnerable homebased workers financially, psychologically and socially. It will
examine the ban, and related
petitions, court orders, government’s stance on the entire issue,
losses and benefits involved in the kite-making indus- what expectations and aspirations they have from
try. This situational analysis will provide an overview government and civil society organizations. Finally, it
of the relevant laws banning of the cultural event in provides recommendations on the possibilities for
question and kite-making, besides giving an under- enhancing the social and economic status of the workstanding on court orders. It will represent key stake- ers involved in the kite-making sector and uplifting
holder voices from the sector in question and examine the kite-making sector as a major source of income
how their lives have changed due to the bans and generation.
10
Background
According to a draft of the Pakistan Government's national policy on home based
workers there are 8.52 million home based workers in the country, of which 65% are
female. They contribute to the country's economic growth; Pakistan accounts for 80% of
the world's match-grade footballs and earns nearly $ 50 million in foreign exchange from
this industry alone1.
A majority 71 per cent of female home-based workers in Pakistan are piece-rate workers. They receive work from subcontractors or intermediaries and are paid per pieceaccording to the number of items produced. These women workers usually come from
lower or lower middle income background and from various age groups.
These workers generally have little or no education. Young girls of age six to fourteen
work and help their mothers in making and finishing the tasks assigned to them by the
middleman against extremely low wages, even after working 12-16 hours a day under
conditions that are harsh, unhealthy, and often hazardous.
According to ILO convention C177, a home worker or home-based worker is a person
who works within the home boundaries, or in any other premises of his/her choice, but
excluding the premises of the employer's or contractor's workplace, for remuneration or
monetary returns, and is self-employed or does piece-rate, own-account, or contract
work, which results in a product or services as specified by the employer/contractor .
The factors affecting home based workers in Pakistan have been well delineated in a
number of studies and reports. Some of the key factors are summarized below:
n
Women in Pakistan have to deal with various levels of oppression based on class,
sex, ethnicity, religion, illiteracy, etc., which makes them more susceptible to inauspicious economic and social conditions in the country. For example, the growing religious
militancy, particularly in the tribal areas and some parts of NWFP and Southern Punjab,
is negatively impacting women's autonomy and mobility, forcing them to resort to
home-based work for security reasons.
n
Globalization, liberalization and structural adjustment leading to privatization of
the public sector has fuelled inflation and pushed more people into the informal sector,
forcing women to supplement household incomes by working in the informal sector for
meagre returns, and generating profits for companies/corporations seeking cheap
labour and tax evasions. The negative impacts of globalization were most evident in the
recent global financial meltdown when inflation in Pakistan surged to 25%, resulting in
increasing poverty.
n
According to figures released by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics
(PIDE) there are 8.52 million HBWs representing 65% of the women work force in the
country (compared to only 4% for men). In the urban informal sector, 78.1 per cent of
women work in diverse sectors which are mostly home-based, piece-rate or casual workers on exploitative wages. It is estimated that in Lahore the kite-maker women workers
become 15 to 18 per cent of the total homebased workers. Whereas in Jhang this per centage is little higher i.e. 20 to 23 per cent. However, women workers are invisible in national
statistics due to definitional problems, socio-cultural constraints, gender biases, flaws in
sample sizes and data collection methods.
n Factories, industries and small businesses trying to cut down on the cost of produc1
Quoted in the National Policy on Home Based Workers (draft), 2009
11
tion and labour outsource work to women to seek cheap labour. This is outside the
ambit of any legislation, leading to exploitative conditions for workers, e.g. no legal or
written contracts, low rates, poor working conditions and exposure to occupational hazards (often with negative health consequences and health-related expenses), boring and
repetitive work, long hours, no health care or health insurance, no old age benefits,
absorbing overhead costs of production, delayed payments, deductions from payments,
no protection against loss of income or assets, etc.
n
Seasonal availability and transient nature of work forces women to work on piecerate basis on different types of sub-contracted work, often involving other family members, including children, with girls sometimes giving up their education to help their
families.
n
Lack of mobility due to restrictions imposed by patriarchal norms and traditions
reinforces the gender division of labour, prevents women from entering the formal economy and forces them to work in a totally unregulated and home-based economy, prevents women from getting organized, develop skills, or have an independent access to
markets and other resources that can help them graduate to other types of work.
With regard to the Laws and Policies for Home Based Workers ; Constitutional guarantees for gender equality (equality of employment, equal access to public services), provisions for securing just and humane conditions of work, lack a statutory cover through
special laws to protect women, due to lack of government capacities and coordinated
and systematic efforts, corruption, and retrogressive legislative amendments through
ordinances with an anti-labour, pro-capital and pro-international finance bias.
Pakistan has ratified CEDAW and several ILO conventions related to women and
work, but has not given them a statutory cover. It has still not ratified the ILO Home
Workers Convention C177, 1996. Despite the presence of over 70 labour laws homebased workers are not covered by any labour legislation or administration due to outdated policies, duplication of efforts and weaknesses in implementation mechanisms.
There are no local laws or rules to support these workers. They are not even recognized as a labor force despite existing labor laws in the country. Labor protection, social
security coverage and provision of safety and health services and benefits are not
extended to them. They are unable to access the services, facilities, rights and benefits,
including a fair remuneration under national laws. Women workers in the kite-making
sector are no exception.
However, the Punjab cebinet agreed in principle to place the Punjab Homebased
workers Act 2012 before the Provincial Assembly after vetting by the Law department.
This historic decision came on 11 March 2013. The Punjab Government finalized the
Homebased workers policy and Punjab HBWs Act 2012 recongnizing homebased workers as “workers” and extending social protection to homebased workers of Punjab. THe
Punjab HBWs policy has been drafted keeping in view the major components enlisted in
the Draf National Policy for HBWs.
12
Methodology
In collaboration with The Asia Foundation, HomeNet Pakistan, facilitated a Research study on the “Situational Analysis of the Kite Makers - A Pilot study”
The purpose of the research is to gain a better understanding of:
The exact situation of home based kite mak1.
ers of Lahore and Jhang.
To underline the economic disparities, eco2.
nomic situation and vulnerabilities including the level of exploitation of the women
home based workers involved in the kite
making sector/trade.
To indicate the level of harassment, vio3.
lence and social exclusion among the workers (specifically women)
To recommend the possibilities for the
4.
enhancing the social and economic status of
the workers involved in the kite making
sector/trade.
Possible suggestion for the policy makers,
5.
and relevant stakeholders for uplifting the
kite making sector as a major source of
income generation.
This information is considered of crucial importance for the HomeNet to devise strategies which
may lead to the upgrading of the working conditions
of home-based workers. Gaining an understanding of
the situation may lead to advocacy and lobbying with
the government for introducing better remedies for
the marginalized section of the society and allowing
for a process of negotiation of better terms and conditions of work.
HNP intendeds to build on the information gathered from the Research, future strategies to uplift the
Name
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Key Informant Interview
City
Pappu
Khawaja Nadeem Saeed Wayen
Khalid Zafar
Parveen Farooq
Shahida Bagum
Mian Shahid Nadeem
Muhammad Akram
Muhammad Aslam
Lahore
Lahore
Lahore
Jhang
Jhang
Lahore
Lahore
Lahore
Date
Dec 05, 2012
Dec 06, 2012
Dec 06, 2012
Dec 11, 2012
Dec 11, 2012
Dec 18, 2012
Jan 15, 2013
Jan 15, 2013
economic and social status of the kite makers and
lobby with government to ensure the social protection of the home based kite makers. It is hope that the
research would enable to start dialogue with the
media in presenting a positive image of the kite makers of Pakistan.
The sample size of the research was based on the
following criteria:
(a) a significant number of piece-rate and own
account kite makers home-based workers in
urban areas of Lahore and Jhang
(b) The piece-rate or own account kite makers
home-based workers clustered into production
for specific sectors of kites (e.g. bamboo peeling,
paper cutting, purchase of raw material, pasting, door/thread making).
Key methodology adopted for the situational
Focal Group Discussion
Lahore
1
2
3
4
5
Gulshan Ravi
Kot Lakhpat
Bhatti Gate
Lohari
Mughal Pura
6
7
8
9
Marzi Pura
Mehmood Sultan Road
Saddar
Khaki Shah Road
Dec 07, 2012
Dec 08, 2012
Dec 08, 2012
Dec 09, 2012
Dec 10, 2012
Jhang
Jan 17, 2013
Jan 18, 2013
Jan 20, 2013
Jan 21, 2013
analysis was through a mix of short survey questionnaires and focus group discussions with the kite
makers of the Lahore and Jhang and key informant
interviews with important stakeholders.
The objective was to gather in-depth information
of the exact situation of kite makers. The questions
seek to address the following:
n
The products they make and the tasks they are
engaged in.
n
How long it takes to make/process one “piece”.
n
Who they sell to and on what terms.
n
The seasonality/frequency of the orders.
n
Who are the intermediaries and who is the end
“customer” of the product, (e.g. the name of the
exporter and the name of the buyers).
n
What are the prices they are paid and how are
13
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
the price is set.
The overhead/non-wage costs borne by the homebased workers.
The frequency with which payments are made.
If possible, the margins earned by the intermediaries along the chain.
How many family members are engaged in the
production process, how and on what terms.
What services or interventions they expect to be
provided by organizations working for HBWs and
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
14
Unions.
If and how the home-based workers are organized
and examples of the benefits they have achieved
through being organized, (e.g. collective bargaining for a better piece-rate).
The issues of employability.
The issues of harassment they face at all levels.
Increase in the vulnerability and violence.
Their level of understanding their worth as a
“worker” or “labour”.
Women in Kite-Making Industry
Kite-making, despite being an informal sector has
been strong contributor to the economy of Pakistan.
This industry is flourishing in different parts of the
world such as China and Dubai, where annual
turnover can reach to billions of rupees in just two
days during the Basant festival that celebrates the
advent of spring season. This festival used to be celebrated with pomp in Pakistan, bringing in billions
of rupees in revenue.
Since kite-making is an informal home based
industry, there is limited credible data available.
Based on the interviews conducted, approximately
90% percent of the kite-makers were women, with a
majority earning between Rs. 900 to 1500 per month.
Children of the families both male and female also
have been as part of this unrecognized and unheard
labor.
In Pakistan, Basant was celebrated by millions,
while the kite-making sector itself boasted up to
150,000 workers in Lahore and about 180,000 in
Gujranwala and Kasur districts2. District Jhang too,
had a large female workforce working in kite-making. The two-day Basant festival could generate
about five billion rupees3.
Women registered in schemes
The study finds that the kite-makers did not have
any other particular skill to employ for livelihood
when the Punjab government banned kite-making
in the province Punjab. Women, comprising the
bulk of the industry, were also more vulnerable as
they had had even scarcer opportunities of alternative employment.
Pakistan kite-makers seek revival of Basant festival
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-01-27/news/36577252_1_basant-kite-makers-ban
2
There is no Lahore without Basant
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C03%5C15%5Cstory_15-3-2008_pg13_1
3
15
Weekly earning of women kite makers
suffered from anxiety because of perpetual stress.
to the loss of employment, many families
forced their children to labor, at even riskier and
unhealthy places, just to make ends meet (before
kite flying was banned, the children were already
working at home, but under parental supervision).
n Unavailability of conveyance/transport is the
biggest challenge for women kite-makers. Other
key challenges include poor health, choked
sewage, unclean water, unavailability of electricity
n The ban not only rendered thousands of women
and families jobless, it also impacted the other
sectors like bamboo, thread, glue, paper industries.
The study shows that 59% kite-makers were
between 20 and 30 years of age. This means that the
population involved in this sector is relatively
young. However, it is important to note that about
80 % kite-makers are illiterate. Nearly 10% have
nDue
Findings from series of focus group discussions
and key informant interviews with different stakeholders and detailed profiles of 100 males and 100s
female kite-makers at Jhang and Lahore district
illustrate that:
Age of women kite makers
nWomen and their family members lost income all
of a sudden when Punjab government banned the
kite-making sector without providing any assistance to the kite-making groups and families.
n Kite-making groups and families switched to the
other livelihood options, like daily wage laboring, street vending, domestic servicing, etc., at
even lower daily wage arrangements, because
they had no other particular skill to sell in the
market.
n About 70% families had lesser food and had to
stop sending their children to school because they
could not afford their education anymore
n Parents had to leave younger children at home
with neighbors and/or elder children so that they passed primary school while the rest have completed middle and matriculation. The 30-40 year age
could go in search of labor elsewhere.
n Many home based workers, especially women, group makes up 30% of the kite-makers industry. A
Woman as self employed and piece rate workers total of 52% kite-makers were unmarried and 48 %
married. 28% respondents had 2 to 5 children and 19
% had more than 5 children.
The data informs us that about 62% kite-makers
had been working in the industry for 1 to 10 years.
At least 53% families made kites for 5 to 10 hours a
day, while the rest worked longer hours. Approximately 63% kite-makers revealed that they had
involved other family members in the kite-making
processes. While many workers have already left
kite-making, there are still 67% involved in the kitemaking profession but not as regularly as they were
16
Lahore
Bagbanpura
Dhrampura
Mochi Darwaza
Imamia Colony
Total
Jhang
Jhang City
Marzi Pura
Total
Kite-makers
120
55
20
40
235
Kite makers seek revival
of Basant festival
70
140
210
doing before. They are earning 500 to 2000 rupees
per week depending upon the availability of work.
The interviews revealed that kites are currently
being sold in other provinces; however, 71% of the
interviewees said they faced difficulty in accessing
new markets. The majority of those interviewed
(61%) said they worked through middle-men to get
access to the market, which limited their share of the
net income.
Incidence of the involvement of children below
Challenges faced as a woman
15 was also found in the study. Nearly 14% children
from the kite-maker households were involved in
kite-making. A significant number of kite-makers
learn the skill through family, while 11% learnt the
art through proper training acquired from professional kite-makers. Only 28% of children were
enrolled in school; the remaining host of the children remains out of school as parents are unable to
pay tuition fees.
Housing patterns and health of the kite-makers
were found to be very alarming. About 84% respondents lived in one to two roomed houses and barely
43% had the facility of clean drinking water. About
64% kite-makers said that they were suffering from
one or the other ailments and barely 40% were covered by social security or other schemes.
17
LAHORE (Online): As authorities are planning to
continue ban on the Basant kite flying festival this
year, All Pakistan Kite Flying Association have
appealed the Supreme Court Chief Justice to allow
fly kites outside urban areas so that the centuriesold tradition can be preserved.
All Pakistan Kite Flying Association Chairman
Khawaja Nadeem Wayn said around 150,000 people in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, and
180,000 in Gujranwala and Kasur districts, affiliated with the kite flying industry, had lost their jobs
and were facing hardship as they have no other
means to earn a livelihood.
A ban was imposed on Basant, the kite flying
festival that heralds the arrival of spring, seven
years ago after several people, including children,
lost their lives when their throats were entangled in
the glass-coated twine used for kites.
"The kite flying industry has pinned high hopes
on Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry as he has
already taken a number of historical decisions in
the interest of the masses," Wayn said.
"We have given a proposal to the Punjab government for establishing a 'kite city' outside the limits
of cities but the bureaucracy has not even bothered to reply," he said.
Thousands of women used to earn a livelihood
by making kites at home but now they are sitting
idle because of the complete ban on Basant, he
said.
"Kite-making had attained the status of a cottage industry and was providing employment to
thousands of people, especially women," he said.
He said that tragic incidents had taken place in the
past but instead of taking measures to address
them, the kite flying festival had been banned.
"This is no solution," Wayn said. The government
decided to continue with the ban on Basant this
year after the police department said it could not
guarantee the safety of people on the roads during
the festival, officials said.
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/204522/
Ban or bane
An industry, a hobby, people’s livelihood remain
suspended just because of malpracices in
string-preparations
Akbar Shah, once a seasoned kite-maker, is now a fruit
vendor. He sells fruits on rehri. 20 women used to work with
him. “Now they are out of work. One woman wed her seven
daughters from this earning,” says Shah.
Syed Aftab Ali Shah alias Baboo Shah, another known
kite-maker, was in this business with his whole family. He
has all daughters. The skill runs in the family for generations.
“My mother, who died last year at the age of 96, was adept
at kite-making,” says Babboo Shah.
Like Babboo Shah Abdul Latif has all girls; all made kites.
Naseeruddin alias Ustad Shera, who would make extraordinarily big kites, has nothing to do. The economic crunch in
families who were associated with kite-making and selling is
huge.
Hundreds of families engaged in it are living hand to
mouth. A large number of women who made kites at home
have been particularly affected as a result of ban on kite-flying. Most of them are living below the poverty line, The News
on Sunday learnt from kite-makers in the city that have taken
up odd jobs in the absence of work.
When a water pipe gets clogged, we have to clean it for
water to flow smoothly. We cannot put it aside because it is
like a lifeline. Likewise, an industry that provides livelihood to
hundreds of thousands of people cannot be closed for good
if something goes awfully wrong there.
While all of us are clear that no sport can be allowed at
the cost of life, we have also seen that people in this region
have been flying kites for hundreds of years peacefully and
incidents of cutting of throats is quite recent. Something
went wrong along the way. That something has to be identified and corrected instead of banning the sport for good. “All
that is needed is political will,” says Malik Javed Ali while sitting in a group. Others agreed with him.
Boys have been falling from rooftops while flying but now
that different segments of society have reflected on it and
are determined to prevent it, it’s certainly a good augury. The
provincial leadership has apparently shown more respect for
human life by putting a ban on kite-flying but there are thousands of people who have been deprived of their livelihood
and no leader ever took this into account. Does this not
amount to disrespect for life also?
How nations cope with challenges says something about
them. Instead of solving the problem, rectifying the wrong,
By Saadia Salahuddin
we have succumbed to it. According to workers, the ban was
first imposed in the year 2003.
A group of skilled kite-makers and dealers have suggestions as to how to revive kite-flying that wouldn’t cut throats.
Zahid Butt, once a kite dealer and maker, says all the problems occur due to malpractices in kite string (dor) preparation. Malik Javed Ali and Muhammad Nasir alias Billu Shah
second this and suggest making four departments – that of
dor makers, kite manufacturers, kite dealers and kite-flyers.
They suggest forming a union that would include representatives of all these sectors. The union should then be responsible for giving license to all in this business because they will
know the people in the profession in and out, they say.
“If manufacturing and sale of bullet can be seen through
till the end, why can’t kite-string be inspected in the same
manner. Both kill. Celebratory firing is still there and people
die from it. Have people stopped taking alcohol with ban on
kite-flying?” Kite-makers and dealers are bitter about the
ban.
They demand dialogue with the government. “Every time
we go to the DCO and talk about lifting of ban on kites, we
are asked, ‘who will give guarantee that nobody will die’. Who
can give such a guarantee? The dialogue never starts. MPAs
don’t give us time,” they say.
The craftsmen insist on defining what is safe and what is
unsafe namely the kite with two rods (2 teeli wali) and four
rods (4 teeli wali). Thick kite-string is most dangerous
because the thicker the string the more glass coating it will
need. The people in the kite-industry termed this ‘criminal’
and responsible for the ban on kite-flying and the destruction
of the industry.
“Kite-flyers are very much responsible for an end to this
game in the city. Contests have damaged the game the
most. The demand for string that wouldn’t break led to eventually breaking up of the whole industry. While only an ustad
could cut 12 kites from one string, now even a child would
cut 15 kites with one. Kite-flying no more remains an art but
the wrong practices can be checked,” one kite-maker from a
group says.
“Only 5-6 parties are preparing hazardous kite-strings
while there is only one industry that makes thread used in
kites. The malpractices can be checked and right practices
ensured. The government can control dor making easily. In
Kasur all the dangerous dor making addas were destroyed a
few years back. All that is needed is political will,” the craftsmen and kite-dealers have an agreement here.
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/sep2012-weekly/nos-09-09-2012/she.htm#1
18
Kite-making Process
The kite-making process includes cutting, design
sticking, sticking threads on all four sides, middle
stick and the tail, bottom triangle, arc and the side
folds. Materials are provided by the contractor or the
owner of the final product, these can include paper,
glue and bamboo sticks according to the demand of
the product. A family involved in kite-making normally produced100 to 150 kites in 12 to 14 hours a
day. They received about 30 to 35 rupees per hundred pieces. The contractor used to pick the products
after counting and replenish the materials for next
round. Workers responsible for damaging more than
10 kites from a 100 had to pay for the loss incurred.
Damage to two or three pieces was not counted by
the contractor.
Kite-makers did not have direct access to the markets or shops where their products could be sold at
higher prices. They belonged to poor families and
used to work from day to night. There was room for
the improvement of wages and working conditions
of the poor workers especially through regulariza-
tion of the industry, particularly through application
of labor laws and access to better health facilities.
According to the available figures, from different
sources of kite-makers associations, some 25,000
families associated with the kite flying business are
facing financial constraints due to restrictions
imposed by the provincial government4. Basant was
last celebrated in Lahore in 2009 when Punjab was
under the Governor’s Rule, because the then governor Salmaan Taseer was in favour of celebrating Basant while the PML-N led Punjab government is
opposed to it.
Vasanta (Sanskrit, Hindi:, Punjabi:) or Basant is
one of the six ritus (seasons) corresponding to spring.
(“URS AUR MELAY” by Aman Ullah Khan Arman, published by Kitab Manzil Lahore, 1959)
**********
In early March to welcome the arrival of spring the
Basant (Kite flying) festival is held in most cities of the
Punjab with the highlight in Lahore. In the subcontinent and China kites have been used in different form
since ancient times. From 100 BC to AD 500, kites
were used for sending signals and to measure the distance of enemy camps.
(www.hindukushtrails.com/festivals/basant_festival.
asp)
**********
Basant is celebrated with great joy in Lahore, as
Daily Times, a Pakistani Newspaper states:
“There a lot of rush at kite shops, especially in old
Lahore as children and middle-aged men gathered to
purchase their favourite coloured kites and string.
Rehan, an intermediate student said ...the festival
was part of the city’s culture, adding that a number of
special dishes were also prepared for the occasion.
He said this year, however, people would only be flying
kites. Arsalan, a resident of the Walled City, said Basant was the event of colours and lights, adding that a
number of people in his area had installed lights at
their residences. He said “the dance of kites in lights”
would be visible to everyone who would look up at the
sky”.
4
Pak SC lifts ban on kite-flying for 15 days
http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=403280&catid=37
19
20
Ban on Kite-Making
Kite flying used to be a renowned cultural sport in
Pakistan and used to be celebrated in the annual Basant festival in large parts of the country, especially
Punjab. Owing to the cultural importance of kite flying, kite-making was a major informal industry
involving a large number of women workers.
In 1995, a petition was filed in the Lahore High
Court (LHC) against WAPDA seeking a direction to
impose load shedding during Basant night. An oral
prayer was also made to ban Basant as it was alleged
to be a Hindu festival. The LHC dismissed the petition holding that the festival was a cultural tradition
and in the absence of any law prohibiting Basant, no
restriction could be placed on it. But again in 1997,
another petition was filed in the LHC seeking a ban
on celebrating Basant, as well as on flying and manufacturing kites on the basis of ‘morality and desirability’. It was alleged that
Basant “endangered
In 1995, a petition
public peace and tranwas filed in the
quility” and was an
‘un-Islamic, illegal and
Lahore High Court
unlawful tradition and
(LHC) against
custom of the Hindus’.
It was also sought in
WAPDA seeking a
the petition that a
direction to impose
direction to the Punjab
government should load shedding during
also be given to enact a
law that banned kite Basant night. An oral
flying, aerial firing and prayer was also made
addressed other safety
to ban Basant as it
hazards. This petition
was disposed off with
was alleged to be a
a direction to the govHindu festival.
ernment to effectively
deal with the hazards
of Basant; as for the question of it being an un-Islamic
activity, it was held that this could only be looked
into by the Federal Shariat Court5.
This order was appealed against by the petitioner,
and heard by the division bench of the LHC. The
Punjab government placed on record certain measures that it had taken in compliance with the earlier
order, which included: imposing a complete ban on
the manufacture, sale and use of metal wire for kite
5
flying, or any aerial firing, or misuse of loudspeakers;
around 2,000 security bonds in the amount of Rs
500,000 were taken from the owners and managers of
places where public Basant festivals were being held
as an assurance for adhering to the code of conduct;
special squad teams were formed, which included
the police, magistrates, WAPDA officials and citizens, who identified and raided units manufacturing
metal wire for use in kite flying; penal action was
taken against individuals for aerial firing; warnings
were issued through distribution of handbills and
publicity campaigns were also carried out in an
attempt to educate the public on the dangers associated with irresponsible kite flying. The appeal was disposed off with a direction to the Council of Islamic
Ideology to address the issue of whether or not Basant was an un-Islamic festival. In 2001 the Punjab
Prohibition on Kite Flying Ordinance was promulgated by the governor. This law was later enacted by the
Punjab Assembly in 2009.
Later, in 2005 the Supreme Court of Pakistan took
suo moto of a press clipping sent by a citizen. It held
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C02%5C10%5Cstory_10-2-2012_pg3_4
21
that the law promulgated by the Punjab government bench of the Supreme Court denied a petitioner’s
was admittedly insufficient, as it did not contain pre- request for imposition of a ban on kite-flying ruling
ventive mechanisms, nature of criminal liability, fol- that the activity should be regulated, not prohibited.
lowed by a penal offence, for causing deaths and A sport cannot be blamed if a person playing it dies,
injuries, particularly to the innocent citizens includ- noted Justice Mian Saqib Nisar of the Supreme Court
ing the children, who have sustained losses of life in that petition. “People die in traffic accidents but
driving has not been banned, cricket
and property for none of their fault. In
a number of cases deaths had taken “People die in traffic would not be banned if someone were
to die after being hit with the ball”, the
place by a sudden incision of throat by
a reinforced kite flying string to the accidents but driving Justice observed while hearing this
motorcyclists and pedestrians.”
has not been banned, petition.
It is important to note that the court
The law penalized the kite-flyer but
cricket would not be had taken suo moto notice in 2005 on
left the people responsible for the
killer string unattended to; consebanned if someone Shehzad Ahmed Sheikh’s application.
Sheikh, the father of a 28-year-old
quently a ban was placed on kite flywere to die after
Fahim Shehzad 6 whose vocal cords
ing. Over the years, the innocent sport
of kite flying turned into a potentially
being hit with the suffered irreparable damage after his
fatal one, largely due to the string or
throat was reportedly slit by kite
ball”, the Justice
‘dor’ used to fly kites. In addition to
string, prayed the court to impose a
observed while
lethal ‘maanjhaas’ (a dough-like mate“complete ban” on kite flying.
rial used on the string) on the tradi- hearing the petition.
In another case, Advocate Qamar
tional string, which make it razorZaman Qureshi, counsel for the Kite
sharp, nylon and metal strings were
Flying Association, appearing in a
also being used. Later, following some tragic inci- petition submitted that kite flying was regulated
dents reportedly caused by kite string, the Commis- under the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Ordisioner of Lahore declared that the administration will nance 2001. Justice Tasadduq Hussain Jilani, the head
not tolerate any further untoward incident caused by of the bench, asked him who had stopped his clients
kite flying.
from flying kites to which Qureshi replied that the
The District administration engaged special activity had been banned in 2010 by the Lahore High
branch officials to identify those involved in kite- Court. At this, Justice Jilani said that kite-flying
business. It is important to note that a two-member should continue, but in accordance with the law7.
Kite flying may be allowed within ambit of law: SC
http://dawn.com/2012/03/17/kite-flying-may-be-allowed-within-ambit-of-law-sc/
Supreme Court chucks out ban, rules kites will fly
7
http://www.wiredpakistan.com/topic/16805-supreme-court-chucks-out-ban-rules-kites-will-fly/
6
22
Stakeholders’ Views
Selling kites was once a fruitful business in
almost every corner of Lahore and Jhang. According to renowned kite-seller, Papu Guddi Farosh
(Pappu Kite Seller), from Ghazi Road Lahore, the
truly golden days in his life were when he used to
sell a variety of kites at his shop because all looked
so colorful, lively and profitable. He said that after
the government imposed ban on kite flying, he had
to shut down and switch to selling cigarettes and
paan (betel leaf with tobacco). Pappu had a lucrative set-up for the last 16 years (earning about Rs
30,000 to 40,000 per month). His business closed in
2009. Pappu said that kite-selling was his profession of choice, but after the decision of the government, he had suffered economically and mentally
for a long time. He had been trying to set up an
was a source of enjoyment for everyalternative business but unfortunatebody regardless of class, race, caste,
ly couldn’t excel in anything. He is
There was not any creed, religion or color.
still struggling to make a new start.
Vice President of All Pakistan
Similarly, others in the industry in
chemical that can
Paper Merchants Association
different pockets of Lahore and Jhang
make the thread or dor (APPMA) and founder of Kite Flying
districts have expressed deep concerns over the decision of the govern- harmful rather it was Festival, Khawaja Nadeem Saeed
Wayeen is of the view that ban on
ment, and demanded that the indusjust the gauge or
kite-making has caused a great damtry and kite flying must be allowed
throughout the year with regulations thickness or thinness of age to the paper industry at one
hand and secondly those who have
on dor usage. Kite fliers complained
the thread that
been making kites for years and
that it was Basant, as a cultural and
matters.
years were unable to do some other
sporting event that had created a
work. He said that there was not any
space for dispelling depression. It
chemical that can make the thread or dor harmful
rather it was just the gauge or thickness or thinness
of the thread that matters. According to Wayeen, it
was the thickness of the thread that caused damage.
Otherwise the string was not harmful. He said that
thicker thread was for use in the United States
where winds were stronger; however, these had
come into use in Pakistan.
Wayeen also said that while the sport had been
restricted to the walled city there were had been no
such accidents; it was only after spreading to the
rest of the city that it started causing damage, largely due to the thickness of the thread and the fall of
the dor at wide roads. Instead of a ban, he suggested that regulations regarding thread should be
strictly be observed. He suggested that some steps
could improve the situation and there was no need
to damage an entire industry, as well as its associat23
entrepreneurship. He said adding that banning Basant or kite flying in fact was an abolition of a four
hundred years old tradition.
He felt that kite-flying and Basant had played an
important role in promoting a soft image of the
country; efforts should be made to make kite-making safer rather than banning it.
Mian Shahid Nadeem, a distributor for kite flying thread had petitioned against the ban on Basant. He shared that his business had been severely
damaged, undergoing massive losses. The losses to
all the 17 thread producing industries were in billions of rupees, he said. He shared that he had filed
a petition immediately after the ban in 2005; the
court had accepted his stance directing the government to redress his complaints, but
ed industries which include paper,
nothing
happened despite meetings
bamboo, thread.
kite-flying and
with government.
He said that when Basant used
He said that their loss in terms of
to be celebrated as a cultural festi- Basant had played an
money
were immeasurable, “only polival, Pakistan used to generate
important role in
tics is being done on the matter in question
approximately seven billion rupees
promoting a soft
and no one is ready to realize that how
revenue per year, a large part of
many people involved in every business
which came from Basant tourism.
image of the
related to kites have been forced to enter
Small changes in the attitude of the
government even in light of the country; efforts should into immoral activities especially women.”
He said that they were forced to close
apex court’s orders can help resusbe made to make
their businesses and police raids were
citate the business and generate
kite-making safer
conducted at their residences. Their
heavy revenues and businesses.
rather than
industry materials/products and valuBarrister Khalid Zafar, a council
ables were confiscated, and later recovin a petition against the ban quesbanning it.
ered from the police after filing writ
tioned how a kite, composed simpetitions.
ply of bamboo sticks, paper and
In June 2012 a two memglue can kill someber bench of the Supreme
one? Kite-making was
Court had announced verpart of Pakistan’s culdict in their favour that
ture; the government
their businesses could not
should create awarebe closed, however, their
ness rather than imposvoice was not heard and
ing a ban. He said that
their grievances were not
a child coming of good
addressed by the adminfamily can enjoy everyistration. He said that
where, while anyone
after the Provincial
could enjoy kite flying
assembly of the Punjab
regardless of their sociopassed a law under
economic backgrounds.
which kite flying is
He said that ban on kiteallowed for 15 days, no positive step had been
making is against the
taken by the government. He told to have filed
Constitution of Pakistan.
Article 18 of the Constitution provides that doing a another petition questioning why kite-flying this
business of one’s own choice is his/her right to had not been followed.
24
Voices from District Jhang
Perveen Farooq, who represents home-based preparing glue. In case of loss or damage to the kites
women workers involved in kite-making in Marzi Pura they paid for that.
After the government had imposed the ban on kite(Jhang District) when interviewed to highlight the situation, noted, “Although kite-making was not very prof- making, they came under severe stress fearing that
itable work, it was a source of income for us. Our now they would be arrested and put behind the bars.
“We used to be afraid of
income from kite-making was
police raids and going
little but the reality was that at
“We used to be
into the jails,” she said
least we used to earn someafraid of police raids adding that ban on kitething that was helpful to us in
making immediately
running our homes.”
and going into the
rendered them jobless.
Perveen’s family comprises
jails,” ban on
“Although the income
of five members including her
we used to earn from
two daughters and one son.
kite-making
kite-making was not
She used to make kites at her
immediately
handsome enough, but
parents’ home even when she
rendered us jobless. then the situation
was not married. She
became more adverse
informed that wages for making 100 kites were in between Rs 30 to 35. Normally than it was in the past.” She said that they had dreams
about 150 to 200 kites could be made within about 12 to have their children educated and have other basic
hours constant work and that with the involvement of rights of life such as education, health and employment
children or some other member of family, she said. She but those were just shattered with a single stroke of
told that wages against their work could either be pen. She demanded to have their rights. She told that
received daily, fortnightly or monthly. Parveen told the home based women workers were becoming united under a single banner and hoped
that her son got involved with a local
religious group. She added that that Wages for making 100 that they are be in a better position to
for their rights in a stronger
group members don’t appear to have
kites were in between demand
way. “We also have expectations from
any job.
She said that wages against their Rs 30 to 35. Normally civil society organizations particularly
labor were not given to them according about 150 to 200 kites those working for home-based workers
to step in and plead our cause in front
to their demand rather it used to be
fixed by the dealer who used to supply could be made within of the authorities concerned.” She also
expressed the hope that Home Net Pakthem material for kites and then directly
about 12 hours
istan would be taking such steps that
used to sell it in the market. She said
constant work and their elected representatives couldn’t
that they (women home based workers)
take so far. Marzi Pura is largely comdo not know as to where their dealer or
that with the
prised of an Urdu speaking population
contractor used to sell the products.
involvement of
and its estimated population is about
“We know that the dealer used to earn
between Rs. 600 to 1000 per 100 kites. children or some other 0.25 million. It is a poor locality, without facilities like hospitals, schools,
Unfortunately we don’t have enough
member of family, parks
etc. Majority of the women workresources or contacts to approach the
ers in the area were kite-makers.
market and even purchase material for
she said.
Shahida Begum, mother of four
making kites and doing our own business. We could just offer our services at the said rates daughters and a son, says “My daughters are young
and must be married by now. My son is younger who
otherwise there was nothing in our hands.”
Perveen further added that it took about five to has to be left home, alone. We, after putting off our
seven minutes in making a kite. She said that kite-mak- stove, are trying to provide him education just to get
ing involves extreme care in fixing bamboo straw, our dreams materialized. Our dream is that, one day,
using thread, pasting paper chits, fixing tail and our boy is educated and he has a good job. He helps us
25
change our fate. My husband is
daily wage laborer in the vegetable market. He earns
between Rs 100 and 200 per
day, which is entirely insufficient to meet the expenses of
our family. When I used to
make kites, with the help of my
daughters, I could chip in Rs 60
to 80 per day. That was not a
major contribution though,
however it was something still.”
She further told, “One
day teachers beat my
Wages against their
son for not having
labor were not given
school uniform and
shoes. My son was beat- to them according to
en for three days and their demand rather it
unfortunately I was not
having money to get used to be fixed by the
those things for him. He
dealer who used to
was so much afraid that
he did not go to school supply them material
due to the fear of being
for kites and then
beaten again. At last I
took a loan of Rs 1300 directly used to sell it
from someone to bring
in the market.
the required things for
him. And now it was very hard for me and my husband to return that loan.”
Shahida added, “My husband is a heart patient
and we are unable to provide him treatment as there
is no government hospital in the area and treatment
from outside even from our own town is not possible
because of inadequacy of money. My daughters are
young and want to get education but that’s not just
possible.” She said that her house stretches over only
225 square feet and contains only one room. The
whole family sleeps on the floor and there is no space
to accommodate even a single guest. She said, “How
can I tell how our aspirations and dreams are dying
and how our sentiments are being strangled to
death?” She demanded of the government to have
mercy on them and others like them. She said that
there should be laws relating to the protection, safety
and to ensure the rights of home based workers especially the kite-makers. She also demanded that more
suitable opportunities should be provided to those
poor people to enable them at least lead their lives
respectfully.
Salma Bibi has seven children, three daughters and
four sons. None of her children ever went to school. All
children were in between the ages of six to 22 years.
She said that her sons work as mechanics at the automobile workshops and as beginners earn virtually
nothing. She questioned, “Who would be willing to
take my daughters for marriage when I am unable to
give dowry? My husband earns only Rs 150-200 per
day after whole day labor in the fruit and vegetable
market and how Rs 3000-5000 could fulfill our needs?”
She shared that when she with the help of her daughters used to make kites than at least they could make
some extra money. She demanded the government that
some alternative earning opportunities should be provided to them or ban from kite-making should be lifted
completely so that they could earn at their own homes
rather to look for government’s help in terms of Zakaat.
Lives of Bamida Bibi, Rafiqa Bibi, Shehnaz Bibi,
Sarwari Bibi and others were also not different as they
shared some parts of their stories in a group discussion held at Jhang district. They unanimously
demanded that they needed to have employment
opportunities, health and education facilities their children, and they must be recognized as equal citizens of
Pakistan. The problems they shared were also common and they were also one in their aspirations and
expectations from the government and civil society
organizations in terms of helping them upgrade their
status. They demanded to lift the ban from kite-making and upgrade the kite-making industry with the
grant of labor rights to them and enable them improve
their living standard.
They demanded that the government and civil society organizations should help them survive because
now they were not in a position to learn some new
skills and then exercise them. They also said that they
don’t want to get Zakat, as they prefer to lead a
respectable life by their own means and the government must ensure all that while the civil society organizations should fight for their cause and respectable life.
26
Voices from District Lahore
Muhammad Akram, a
resident of Kot Lakhpat
(Lahore) and a father of
five, said that his wife used
to make kites and he used
to help her for not being
able to do heavy work or
labor because of his protracted inability. Akram
used to do masonry work
before he dislocated his leg
while working. He is no
longer capable of doing
menial work due to complications in his treatment. He
said that before the accident, he used to about Rs
200 per day as a laborer.
Akram said it was his wife who was running the
home after his accident. Later, however, government banned kite-making and they became unable
to earn even that meager amount.
Of his four sons and one daughter none has ever
been there in an educational institution because they
had been earning through kite-making that was now
completely banned. He asked, "There are no parents
who don't have dreams about the education and
secure future of their children. We too have the
same dreams but how we will get our dreams materialized is not known to us." He demanded the government either to completely lift ban from kite-making or provide them some alternative so that they
could lead a respectable life.
Another kite-maker Muhamad Aslam from the
same locality said that after government imposed
ban on kite-making their income was reduced to virtually nil and it became very hard for them even to
survive.
Aslam told that the sudden reduction in their
income even triggered rifts between him and his
wife. "Due to these rifts between us due to economic
crunch, my in-laws took once my wife away with
them and the problems almost tripled for us."Aslam
now works in a factory but their income is still
insufficient to run his home because the otherwise
additional income in kite-making is no longer available.
Aslam demanded that the government should
announce some income generation schemes or
employment opportunities for the home based
workers particularly for the women so that they
could support their families. He also noted that
women' contribution in the national economy
should be recognized and they should be granted
labor rights and for that both government and civil
society organizations should make joint efforts to
raise the status of home based workers regardless of
their sex. He demanded that kite-making industry
should be promoted and covered under labor laws.
Women workers, including Nahid Akhtar, Amna
Bibi, Sumera Shaheen, Bushra Perveen, Hanifa
Bibi and Ayesha Saleem Javed expressed similar
views regarding their economic problems after the
ban in question was imposed on kite-making. It is
important to note that wages of kite-making and the
capacity of the workers to make kites in both the
said districts -Lahore and Jhang- was almost same
and in reference to their problems they too were on
the same page. Their aspirations, dreams and expectations were not different than those of their friends
and sisters or colleagues in Jhang in terms of the
role of the government and that of the civil society
organizations for bring them out of economical and
social problems.
According to Bushra Perveen, "our whole family
used to earn Rs 200 per day when there was no ban
on kite-making but after this ban was imposed we
had to face a lot of problems." She said, after this
ban on kite-making was imposed I started to stitch
cloths and for that I used to go to Faisal Town which
is far away from my residence in Kot Lakhpat. After
going door to door I used to collect unstitched
cloths and after getting them stitched I had to again
27
visit that area to deliver
the orders, which was
an expensive and time
consuming exercise.
The amount that I used
to earn from stitching
and that after going
door to door was not
sufficient enough and
regular as well that
help us run our home."
She said that her
husband had a problem
in his backbone and
was unable to do some
heavy work and now
her son was working in
an embroidery factory
whereas her daughter
was working in a doctor's clinic. She said that
her son earns Rs 5000 to
6000 per month after 12
hours long daily work.
She said that no facility
is available to their children and even they
don't have any other
skill to help them earn a
living. She hopes that
the government and the
civil society organizations can help them
either by developing
the kite industry or providing them some other
alternative for suitable
and respectable earning
instead of declaring
them deserving for
zakat or something else.
She said, "We are even
unable to afford our
own expenses or provide bread and butter
to our own children.
How is it possible for
us to look after our parents
who
have
demands from us?"
Flying abroad
It’s about time when the people of Lahore used to celebrate Basant and the skys
would be filled with kites of all colours and shapes. The event used to be the most
festive of all celebrated by the Zinda Dilaan-e-Lahore (the live-hearted Lahoris) for
many years.
But since the imposition of ban on kiteflying-which was termed a cause of deaths of
many- the skys of Lahore have remained mostly clear of these flying objects. The people related to the profession of manufacturing and selling kites, dor (thread used in
kite-flying) and accessories lost livelihood. Many of them have started other jobs or
businesses but there are those also who are still unable to settle down.
A visit to the houses of some kite manufacturers revealed it to TNS that kites are
still being produced, but in smaller numbers and a bit secretively. The markets,
these manufacturers, say are cities other than Lahore and abroad.
One such destination is United Arab Emirates (UAE) where a Pakistani-origin
man Haji Amin has been organising the festival for many years. The venues keep
on changing as they have to look for open spaces which keep on shrinking due to
the extraordinary pace of development there. The most recent venues have been
Dubai-Sharjah Highway, Al Nahda, Sonapur, and Sharjah-Kalba highway.
A news report appearing in Khaleej Times on Feb 25, 2010 says Haji Amin had
imported a container full of them but does not disclose the name of the exporting
country.
Ashiq Ali, 45, a resident of Ghoray Shah, Lahore has an answer to that. He says
the business cannot be done openly even if these kites are going to another country. His point is that the government should allow export of kites and dors to other
countries like UAE and earn precious foreign export. “There should be no harm in
this as everyone knows how strictly laws are enforced in that country.”
While the enforcement of kite-flying ban is very much there in Lahore, the former kites’ dealers of the city say it’s much lax at places like Muridke, Gujranwala,
Faisalabad, Karachi etc. Khawaja Basharat, a trader at Mochi Gate, says his family
had been into kites business for ages but since 2005 they have switched their field
of trade.
He tells TNS they used to provide home-based work to hundreds of kite manufacturers but now most of these use menial jobs to sustain their living. He says
there are some players who still deal in these products but at the risk of police
raids, arrests and public humiliation.
Basharat asserts the sport should be restored and violators of safety laws be
dealt with severely. If manufacture of thick thread and metal twine, use of chemicals in dors and sale of oversized kites is checked properly, there would be no casualties, he adds.
Mian Tahir, a paper dealer at Ganpat Road Paper Market tells TNS that guddi
kaghaz is available there in abundance. It’s sale cannot be checked as it’s also used
to make decoration material like paper flowers, buntings etc and as gift wraps. He
says India unleashed propaganda at global forums against the Basant of Lahore
and benefited a lot from the ban. “Kite-lovers from all over the world have now
started flying there to indulge this sport. They have recently released a film with
the name of ‘Kites’ to market this event,” he adds.
http://lahorenama.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/export-of-lahore-made-kites-to-uae-and-us/
28
Recommendations
Detailed discussions with different stakeholders
highlight the cultural, traditional and economic
importance of kite flying and kite industry. It is evident that certain measures must be taken to provide
for the women workers in this industry as well as the
businesses associated with it.
This study recommends that:
n
Kite flying should be allowed in light of the
court orders because it is just not a sport, it is a
culture of celebration and festivity.
n
Kite flying and kite-making industry can be
restored and the situation can be improved by
launching awareness campaigns on safe methods
of kite flying.
n
Kite flying zones can be reserved where this
sport could be enjoyed without any likelihood
of damage or loss of human life.
n
Regulations regarding kite flying cord in terms
of its gauge, material, manjha (dough), etc.
must be stringent and observed with the help
of the kite-flying associations and kite-making
industry.
n
Kite-making industry should be regularized
and brought under the jurisdiction of labor
laws so that it should benefit kite-maker families, especially unemployed women.
n
Kite flying must be allowed by taking safety measures for motorcyclists like that of using antennas
and helmets during the period of Basant.
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
29
Kite-making industry should be geared up to
export kites to the USA, Europe, China and
Middle East (especially Dubai) and the industry may be taxed for more revenue.
Kite processing units can be developed at
union council level under the government's
control to start exporting of kites.
Kite-makers can be given small interest free
loans to start their own business of kite-making and then the products can be purchased or
collected at purchasing centers for export purposes. Such schemes could be initiated for
women initially.
Women workers should be recognized as
skilled workers and should be provided
opportunities such as employment in kitemaking industries, social security services and
their wages should be fixed as per the labor
policy of Pakistan or their margin in profit
should be fixed and increased with the passage of time to promote the kite-making
industry
Education and employment opportunities
should be provided to the children of kitemakers.
There should be an alternative business or
employment opportunities for women
involved in kite-making until government regularizes the kite-making industry.

Situational Analysis book.qxd

Transcription

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