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The clip, which has now gone viral across platforms, shows iron bars mounted vertically on the front of two wheels moving through the Pakistani city of Lahore.
The clip, which has now gone viral across platforms, shows iron bars mounted vertically on the front of two wheels moving through Lahore. (Instagram/@aliak_301)
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s recent announcement that the national team will not play India in the upcoming World Cup has sparked widespread discussion on social media. Soon after, another development from Pakistan began attracting attention online, this time a viral video from Lahore showing an unusual scene on the city’s roads.
The clip, which has now gone viral across platforms, shows iron bars attached vertically to the front of two-wheeled bikes as they move through the city. From busy main roads to narrow neighborhood lanes, almost every motorcycle and scooter in the shots appears to be equipped with the same accessory. The increasing visibility of these bars has also boosted their sales, with vendors displaying them in multiple locations across Lahore.
As the video spread, speculation about the purpose of the bars flooded social media. While some users joked that it was intended for self-defense or sarcastically linked it to political tensions, the real reason was due to public safety concerns.
Kite flying, an activity as popular in Pakistan as it is in India, has become increasingly dangerous. Children and young people often fly kites from rooftops and open land using plastic strings, known as ‘trays’. manjha‘. In some cases, cotton threads are coated with glass powder to cut competition kites. When these sharp threads hang loosely on the roads, they pose a significant danger to motorcyclists.
Watch the viral video:
There have been several incidents in which kite strings have cut passengers’ necks, faces or eyes, sometimes causing serious injuries. To prevent such accidents, residents have started attaching iron bars or metal sticks to the front of their two-wheelers. The bars intercept the string before it reaches the rider, reducing the risk of injury.
Similar measures have been seen in parts of India as well, especially during the kite flying season between January and February, when incidents linked to sharp strings are frequently reported. At high speeds, a plastic or glass-covered string can be fatal if it gets wrapped around a rider’s neck.
03 February 2026, 20:26 IST
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