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Concept of animal welfare non-existent in Pakistani society

By Andaleeb Rizvi

KARACHI: Talking about animals, one must be used to the spectacle of undernourished donkeys, horses and camels as well as flea-infested cats and dogs in the city. Also worth mentioning are the illegal animal markets, where animals are kept in dirty, over-crowded and unhygienic conditions. Unfortunately animal welfare is an alien concept in our society and it is proved countless of times when we go through news flashes about poisoning of street dogs and cats, indiscriminate shooting of crows or eagles, hunting of endangered animals and birds as well as public displays of cruelty by pelting stones or cutting off of ears and tail of street cats just for fun.

To find out the existing laws in Pakistan regarding cruelty to animals, this scribe contacted several lawyers and it was shocking to discover that there has never been a single case filed in any Pakistani court regarding cruelty to stray animals. The cruelty to animals’ acts, such as the 1890 Act, amended in 1937, and later in 1961 under the Agriculture Department of West Pakistan, only partially deals with animals in service, totally ignoring any other sort of cruelty that can be committed against free animals like common kites, sparrows, crows, street cats and dogs. Similarly, the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1972 only applies to ‘wild animals’ and does not refer to stray animals particular to urban areas. However, there are laws citing a monetary fine as well as imprisonment against abandoning an animal a passive crime, which can lead to starvation, injury or death. Nevertheless, looking at the high number of cats and dogs on streets, it would not be wrong to say that the laws were never implemented.

Advocate Shahab Qutub, while talking to this scribe said, “The only legislation dealing with stray animals in Pakistan is related to the Local Government Ordinance 2001, and that too mostly focuses on protecting the public from the animals, rather than the animals from cruelty.” However, he said, “Under item 9 section 2(c) of the ordinance it is possible to make a provision for ‘animal shelters’ that can be created to keep abandoned, stray, or injured animals.”

Currently the government does not have any animal shelters in Karachi, and instead of making any provisions or putting anybody to task for committing crimes against animals, the government itself takes drastic measures to control the pye-dog population. There have been several reported incidents where animals were poisoned in different parts of the city. Commenting on a question Advocate Qutub said, “Sadly whenever the local government intervenes to take care of stray animals, it usually does very little other than to destroy the animals.”

The fundamental shortcoming in the law is the inadequacy against dealing with any perpetrator of even a direct crime against any helpless animal. When Advocate Qutub was questioned about the clauses 428 and 429 of the Pakistan Penal Code, he said, “These sections do not criminalise the act of killing of stray animals, rather these offences fall under the head of mischief which means wrongful damage or loss to a person or his property including animals.”

According to another lawyer, the only laws in Pakistan related to cruelty towards animals date back to 1890, and that too are almost never implemented. Snickering, the lawyer said, “Bibi, we do not have human rights in our country. And you are asking me about animals?”

Most lawyers when contacted to comment about the situation related to animals not only did not have much relevant information but also were callous about the whole issue.

It is pertinent to mention here that in our neighbouring country India, the law is a little better as it is their constitutional duty to show compassion to all living creatures. Online sources reveal that on December 18 animal lovers in India won an important battle when the Delhi High Court directed the Animal Welfare Board to designate places in different localities where they can feed stray dogs without being harassed by the residents.

Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and Edhi Foundation are the only organisations working in this sector and they too are hampered by a lack of funds and government indifference.

Mahera Omar, Co-Founder of PAWS said, “The way we treat animals in Pakistan speaks volumes about the kind of nation we have become. It is our duty as human beings to look after those who cannot look after themselves, and this includes the animals we share our world with.” It is also an established fact that cruelty to animals is linked to violent crimes in society, she stated.

“Numerous studies have been conducted proving this link and how deadly it can turn out to be. Children who abuse animals are more likely to grow up to be violent towards humans.”

There is an urgent need for public private partnership for creating awareness concerning this issue, especially amongst children. Perhaps this will pave the way for a better, peaceful and humane future generation, which respects nature in its entirety.

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