Another child has been strangled to death by a stray kite-string. If you don't want to create heart problems for yourself, never try to know how many innocent kids have so far been assassinated by the stray strings. For the kite-flyer, kite-flying is a fabulously enthralling entertainment. He feels that it is not his kite which flies but he himself flies in the shape of a kite. What a supremely delightful flying about in the air by a human being Is a mini form of journeying through space. The kite-flyer doesn't mind depriving some mothers of their babies. But he cannot deprive himself of his kite-flying indulgence. Actually, by their utter indifference to the security of the babies, the kite-flyers have warned the mothers that when they are flying kites the mothers must fly out of Pakistan with their babies or pay the penalty for disobeying the warning. When a child's throat is slit by a stray string the death of the child raises a very grim question. Did the string kill the child or the kite-flyer? It is a national secret. Let it be a secret. Let's not knock at the law-doors for an answer. Whenever a stray string despatches a child's soul back to heaven, every citizen is depressed. He protests. But he protests individually. Individual protests are generally barren protests. There ought to have been constant collective protests up and down the country. Had there been such protests, kite-flying would have fled the country. The mothers would have heaved a sigh of great relief. We are living in the 21st century. The west has conquered planets. Can't we conquer even kite-flying? What a shame Ours is an age of miraculous discoveries and inventions. Let's invent certain amusements which are more exciting and cheaper than kite-flying. If we succeed, our kite-flying shall become a part of archaeology. No doubt, the frequency of the string-caused deaths of the babies has decreased. But a complete extinction of such deaths is a categorical obligation of the rulers. If we can create atomic weapons for dealing with our external enemies, why can't we create certain devices for dealing effectively with our internal enemies " the kite-flyers? Our air is thick with the cries of the mothers who have been deprived of their babies by the stray strings. A mother whose Baby's throat is slit by a string keeps crying and crying and crying till her own throat becomes physiologically incapable of crying any more. The government has vowed that our air space shall be soon completely freed from the kites. Obviously, the government means the paper-kites not the natural kites. As compared with the paper-kites the natural kites are innocent creatures. They have never killed a baby sitting in the lap of the mother who is sitting on a motorcycle pillion. Let's hope that the government soon achieves its mission. If it does, it shall be a stupendous achievement. The entire nation shall be grateful. The masses might become uncontrollably emotional. They might burst into singing songs in praise of the government. Our kite-flying is not a new activity. It is as old as Pakistan itself. Selling kites and string-balls has been a reasonably profitable business. If the kite-flying is annihilated, it shall throw the kites and string sellers out of business. If the government is concerned about the survival of the babies, it should also be concerned about the livelihood of the kites and string sellers. Here is a suggestion. The government should buy all the material from the sellers and set it ablaze. The ashes should be preserved in a national museum as a symbol of the government's love for the children. When the first child was devoured by a stray string, the rulers ought to have flung the kite-flying out of the country. But some of the kite-flyers were very influential persons. They did not allow a flinging to happen. Inevitably, kite-flying continued unabated and the children continued to be killed unabated. The influential kite-flyers defended the kite-flying on the ground that it was a vital part of our culture. So they did not mind sacrificing children for the preservation of their culture. Fortunately, the present government seems determined to kill the baby-killing sport. The determination is highly laudable. Unfortunately, all the previous governments were indifferent. Perhaps they believed that they had better things to do than saving the lives of the innocent babies. No wonder, the babies were at the mercy of the kite-flyers. Babies are the most innocent and lovely creatures. Is there anything more barbaric than killing babies just for a transitory pleasure like kite-flying? The writer is an academic