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After nearly two decades, Basant celebrations returned to Lahore, drawing large crowds, packed rooftops, and widespread activity across the city. However, the revival also triggered a wave of negative reactions from Indian netizens.

Social media was flooded with clips of kites battling in the sky, music blaring from rooftops, and people enjoying themselves in bright yellow clothes, marking what many called the long-awaited revival of Lahore’s cultural identity.

However, the celebrations also ignited heated debates online, particularly among Indian Hindutva extremists, many of whom accused Pakistan of “claiming” or “renaming” a Hindu festival.

“So Pakistanis renamed Makar Sankranti as Basant, shifted it to a different date, and now celebrate it just to fly kites… Just wow,” one user wrote.

Another commented, “Now Pakistan is stealing Indian Hindu festival Vasant Panchami and calling it their own.”

One post read, “It’s our Hindu festival… and we celebrate it every year,’ while another user claimed, ‘Seeing clips of Basant from Pak, it seems like Pakis have memed it into a real thing somehow.”

Some users also argued that kite flying was originally an Indian practice and not exclusive to Punjab, with one writing that Pakistan had only ‘revived’ something that had always continued in India.

Another comment suggested that Pakistanis were trying to claim the festival as part of “Punjabi Sufi culture” and were opposing attempts to label it as a Hindu calendar event.

One user said that trying to “gatekeep” the tradition made no sense, calling it “the soul of Punjab from Lahore to Amritsar.”

Another post said Hindu festivals were enjoyable and encouraged people to keep celebrating, while others pointed out that different regions have their own versions and ways of observing the spring festival.

Basant, once one of Lahore’s most iconic cultural events, was effectively banned in 2007 after a series of fatal accidents linked to metal and chemical-coated kite strings. The restrictions remained in place for years despite repeated calls from citizens, traders, and cultural groups to revive the festival under regulated conditions.

In December 2025, the Punjab government finally announced the return of Basant as a three-day event from February 6 to 8, 2026, bringing the festival back to the city after nearly two decades. The revival was framed as both a cultural celebration and a regulated, safer version of the traditional festivities.

The traditional career playbook is being rewritten in real-time, and Pakistan’s youth are at the forefront of this transformation. For decades, the formula was simple: earn a degree, secure a job, climb the ladder. Today, that pathway is crumbling. A computer science degree that once guaranteed employment now competes with self-taught developers who’ve spent six months mastering AI frameworks. The shift isn’t just disruptive, it’s democratizing opportunity in ways that favor Pakistan’s hungry, digitally native generation over credential-obsessed hiring practices of the past.

Consider the numbers that tell this story. LinkedIn reports that AI specialist roles have grown by 74% annually over the past four years, yet traditional universities can’t produce graduates fast enough to meet demand. Meanwhile, platforms like Coursera and edX report that Pakistan ranks among the top 10 countries for AI and machine learning course enrollments, with over 300,000 learners actively pursuing certifications. These aren’t supplementary skills for existing careers, they’re complete career pivots. A civil engineer in Faisalabad becomes a machine learning engineer through evening bootcamps. An English literature graduate in Karachi transitions into natural language processing after a three-month intensive program. The degree becomes secondary; the demonstrable skill becomes everything.

This transformation challenges deeply held cultural beliefs about education and career prestige. Pakistani families have traditionally valued medical, engineering, and business degrees as markers of success and stability. But when a 24-year-old with a six-month AI certification earns more than a doctor in their first year, paradigms shift quickly. The freelancing economy provides undeniable proof, Pakistani AI developers are securing $40-80 per hour contracts on platforms like Upwork and Toptal, often matching or exceeding what local corporate jobs pay monthly. These aren’t isolated success stories, they’re becoming the norm for skilled practitioners who can demonstrate competency through portfolios, GitHub contributions, and live project work rather than transcripts.

The corporate world is responding faster than academia can adapt. Major Pakistani companies are now hiring based on skills assessments and practical tests rather than degree requirements. Tech startups routinely prefer candidates with strong GitHub profiles and completed AI projects over those with prestigious university credentials but no practical experience. International companies outsourcing to Pakistan increasingly value certification stacks—AWS Machine Learning Specialty, TensorFlow Developer Certificate, Microsoft Azure AI Engineer—over traditional degrees. This credential flexibility creates pathways for talent that would have been locked out under the old system, including women returning to work after career breaks, professionals from non-technical backgrounds, and youth from cities beyond the Lahore-Karachi-Islamabad triangle.

Events like Indus AI Week address these tensions by bringing together traditional educators, industry practitioners, and emerging talent to forge new pathways that combine the best of both worlds, rigorous skill development with ethical frameworks, practical training with theoretical foundations, and accessible learning with quality standards. For diaspora professionals, these conversations offer chances to shape how Pakistan navigates this transition, ensuring the move from degrees to digital skills creates genuine opportunity rather than merely shifting gatekeeping from universities to platform algorithms.

The career landscape is transforming, and Pakistan’s youth are learning to navigate it in real-time. Join Indus AI Week to help bridge the gap between traditional education and digital skills training, ensuring this transition creates sustainable careers, not just temporary opportunities. The question isn’t whether degrees still matter, it’s how we integrate formal education with practical AI training to create career paths that are both accessible and substantive, preparing Pakistan’s workforce not just for today’s jobs, but for careers that don’t yet exist.

At least 31* worshippers were martyred and 169 sustained injuries in a suicide bombing at an imambargah on the outskirts of Islamabad on Friday afternoon. When the incident was initially reported, police sources said that 12 people were martyred while several others were injured.

The incident occurred in the Tarlai area around the time of Friday prayers. A suicide bomber attempted to enter the imambargah but was stopped by security personnel at the gate. The attacker then detonated himself at the entrance, reports quoted sources.

Police sources said the attacker was a foreign national and was linked to Fitna-al-Khawarij, a term used by the state for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “The bomber blew himself up after being stopped at the gate,” a police source said, confirming that the blast took place before the attacker could enter the premises.

Following the explosion, police and security agencies launched an operation at the site and cordoned off the surrounding area. Bomb disposal and investigation teams were called in to assess the scene and collect evidence, the sources said.

The injured were shifted to hospitals in the federal capital for medical treatment. An emergency was imposed at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Polyclinic Hospital, and CDA Hospital, officials said.

On the directives of the executive director, an emergency has been enforced at PIMS . The main emergency, orthopaedic, burn centre, and neurology departments had been activated to receive the injured. 

Condemnations over the attack poured in from political leaders and officials.

President Asif Ali Zardari extended condolences to the victims in a statement issued by the Pakistan Peoples Party on X. Expressing grief over the incident, he said, “Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity.” The president prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and directed that all possible medical facilities be provided to them.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the blast in a statement. He expressed grief over the incident and said he “strongly condemns” the attack.

Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam condemned the incident in a post on X on behalf of the Iranian government and people. “On behalf of the government and the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Islamabad during Friday prayers which led to the martyrdom and injury of innocent civilians,” he said. “I extend my condolences and sympathy to the government and people of Pakistan, particularly the bereaved families, and pray for the recovery of the injured.”

The blast comes days after a series of attacks in Balochistan that resulted in multiple casualties. According to official statements, attacks carried out by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed the lives of 36 civilians, including women and children, along with 22 security and law enforcement personnel.

The attacks were reported in several districts, including Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar, and Pasni, on January 31.

A day before the Islamabad attack, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces had concluded Operation Raddul Fitna-1. In a statement, the military’s media wing said at least 216 terrorists were eliminated in coordinated engagements and clearance operations conducted in different areas.

*The death toll and number of injured persons were last updated by the filing of this report.

A man was killed and at least five others were injured in separate kite-flying-related incidents reported across Lahore during Basant celebrations, rescue officials said on Friday.

Basant began in Lahore at midnight on Thursday after the Punjab government formally lifted a ban that had remained in place for over two decades. The festival is being observed from February 6 to 8, with authorities stating that safety measures had been put in place to reduce risks associated with kite flying.

According to rescue sources, a 25-year-old man, identified as Ali Rasheed, died in Baghbanpura while attempting to retrieve a stray kite near the Sikh Canal. Officials said Rasheed climbed an electric pole and was electrocuted after coming into contact with live wires.

Several other injuries linked to kite strings were reported from different parts of the city. In the Gulshan Ravi area, a 45-year-old man, Shabbir, was injured when a kite string became entangled with him. In the same locality, an eight-year-old girl, Irsa, sustained injuries after a kite string wrapped around her neck.

In Defence Phase 5, a young boy, identified as Rafay, was injured in a similar incident when a kite string became tangled around him. Rescue officials said he was provided medical assistance and shifted to a nearby hospital.

Two more children were injured while attempting to retrieve stray kites from elevated locations. A 12-year-old boy named Abdul Wahid was injured in the Lower Mall area, while a 14-year-old boy, Salman, sustained injuries after trying to retrieve a kite stuck in a tree. Both were moved to hospitals after receiving first aid from rescue teams.

The Punjab government had imposed restrictions on kite-flying materials ahead of Basant, including a ban on metallic wire and nylon string. Authorities also made it mandatory for motorcycles to be fitted with safety rods during the festival to prevent injuries caused by kite strings.

To ensure enforcement, the Lahore deputy commissioner constituted quick response teams in every district. These teams were tasked with monitoring safety conditions and responding to emergencies during the celebrations.

Meanwhile, Lahore Police said extensive security arrangements were in place across the city. A police spokesperson said that more than 10,000 officers and personnel had been deployed for Basant-related duties.

According to the spokesperson, checkpoints were established in different zones, including 104 in the Red Zone, 92 in the Yellow Zone and 72 in the Green Zone. Police personnel were also stationed on rooftops, overhead bridges, underpasses and at entry and exit points across Lahore.

The spokesperson added that traffic police deployed 1,300 officers and staff to manage road movement during the festival. During enforcement operations, 44 motorcyclists were arrested for failing to install safety rods, and cases were registered against them.