Punjab government sources say Lahore’s Basant festival may be held on March 12, 13 and 14, with an official announcement expected within days.
LAHORE: Lahore’s Basant festival planned for 2027 may return to its originally announced dates, with sources saying the Punjab government has agreed to hold the event on March 12, 13 and 14.
The proposed reversal comes after the provincial government earlier shifted Basant from the March dates to a 10-day period running from Jan. 29 to Feb. 7. The reasons for the change were not made public.
The earlier decision drew mixed reactions, particularly from overseas Pakistanis who had planned their visits around the festival’s original schedule.
Many overseas Pakistanis had reportedly arranged their travel plans and, in some cases, purchased tickets based on the March dates. With Eid expected around March 8 to 10, the original schedule would have allowed them to celebrate Eid and Basant during the same visit to Pakistan without taking additional leave for a second trip.
The shift to January and February disrupted those plans, as making two separate trips would not be practical for many overseas visitors.
According to the latest sources, the Punjab government has now reversed its earlier decision and agreed to restore Basant to March 12, 13 and 14. An official announcement is expected within the next three or four days.
However, no official notification confirming the revised dates has been issued so far. The March 12-14 schedule should therefore be treated as unconfirmed until the Punjab government formally announces the decision.
If confirmed, the move is likely to provide relief to overseas Pakistanis who had planned to combine their Eid and Basant visits. It would also restore the festival to the dates originally announced before the government’s earlier decision to shift it to a 10-day schedule.
The final dates will become clear once the Punjab government issues an official notification.
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