ISLAMABAD: The administration in Pakistan’s capital has banned the sale and purchase of horns and whistles for ten days ahead of Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 14, an official notification said, to deter people from disturbing “public peace and tranquility.”
Thousands of shops and makeshift stalls in various parts of the country sell vuvuzela horns, whistles and other Independence Day paraphernalia ahead of Aug. 14 every year. A notification released last Thursday by Islamabad’s district magistrate but reported by local media on Monday said it had been noted that people were selling horns and whistles on the capital’s roads which was disturbing the flow of traffic.
A vuvuzela is a plastic horn, brightly colored and seen in abundance at sporting events around the world and at Independence Day celebrations in Pakistan. The horns can be really loud and generate a lot of noise.
“I do hereby prohibit the stock, sale, purchase and use of horns/whistles in Islamabad, which is likely to disturb public peace and tranquility and also cause public nuisance within the revenue limits of Islamabad District,” the notification read, signed by Islamabad’s Additional District Magistrate Usman Ashraf.
The order, issued on Aug. 8, said it was to come into force immediately and would stay in effect till ten days.
According to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Islamabad’s deputy commissioner has directed all assistant commissioners to launch a crackdown on hawkers selling horns across various parts of the city.
“In the past few days, several operations were carried out in different areas, including I-8, Lehtrar Road, Ghori Town, and Kural,” APP reported. “These operations led to the confiscation of horns from various stalls, sending a clear message that the sale and purchase of horns would not be tolerated.”
Islamabad’s Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz also called on citizens to avoid using horns and asked stall owners to stop selling them.
“Using or selling a toy horn can land you in legal trouble,” he warned on social media platform X.
In 2022, a citizen fed up of the noise generated by the vuvuzelas, moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking a ban on plastic toy horns. The court, however, rejected his plea since it was filed after Aug. 14, when Independence Day celebrations had ended.
In August 2023, a judicial magistrate in Karachi ordered authorities to take stern action against people selling plastic toy horns, citing noise pollution as the main reason.
