Court Dismisses Petition Against 10-Day Basant Festival

The Lahore High Court dismissed a petition challenging the Punjab government's plan to hold a 10-day Basant festival in January and February 2027. The petition, filed by Shahid Islam, was dismissed as withdrawn by Judge Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry due to the petitioner's inability to prove the case was maintainable. The judge questioned the petitioner's reliance on unverified information from the government's website and newspaper reports, instead directing him to obtain an official notification from the government.

The court also summoned the additional registrar of judicial to explain why no objection was raised during the petition's scrutiny despite the missing notification. The judge expressed concern over the petitioner's repeated interruptions during proceedings, despite having legal representation. The petition was subsequently dismissed without addressing the merits of the proposed festival.