In Pakistan, animals are killed in cold blood almost every day. Currently, Pakistan has a law called the Animal Prevention Cruelty Act, 1890, to cater to animal cruelty. However, the law has fatal flaws, which make the addressal of animal cruelty impossible. The law isn’t inclusive as it only protects animals with owners. A major consequence is that stray animals do not have any protection under the law and can be killed with no legal repercussions for the killers.
Luckily, a small attempt was made in 2018 to amend the act, but it was not holistic enough and the law still does not provide protection to stray animals. Sadly, other than the failed attempt of 2018 to amend the act, no other attempt has been made since 1890. It is a sigh of relief for me that I was not born as an animal in this country. This is a tragic state of affairs, and it is high time that we raise our brows towards addressing this problem.
For this, we can study another Islamic country, Turkey. Unlike Pakistan, Turkey is a great manifestation of the enshrined principles of Islam concerning the treatment of animals–strays or non-strays. In the old capital of Turkey, Istanbul, animals were treated with extreme care and considered to be important members of their society.
For a proper treatment of its animals, Istanbul followed the CNVR system. CNVR means to capture, neuter, vaccinate and release system. Istanbul has a dedicated bus network of vets all around the city, where the network is on patrol for any animal emergency 24/7. The network also keeps a record by installing an electronic tag on every animal, which provides data on whether the animals are vaccinated or have any other health issues that require immediate attention. This network is government-funded and run by the city’s government. The network captures animals, which don’t have tags installed, and neuters them by impairing their reproductive organs. This is followed by vaccination of the animal and ultimately, the animal is tagged and released back. It is amazing to know that popular tourist spots in Istanbul, like Taksim Square, are full of lovely animals to interact with. Of course, the main reason for this is that the animals are loved by the citizens of Istanbul, and the government has taken responsibility for these animals.
In Pakistan, however, only marginal segments of society treat animals with care while the government has never taken any responsibility for the proper treatment of its animals. Shockingly, instead of taking proper care, the government has legitimised massive animal killing sprees on numerous occasions. Are animals in Pakistan only born so they can die? Maybe the answer is yes, but certain steps can be taken to change this bleak reality.
Unlike Pakistan, Turkey is a great manifestation of the enshrined principles of Islam concerning the treatment of animals
There exists a humongous lack of awareness about animal welfare in Pakistan. This needs to change by raising animal welfare awareness on a national scale. A national animal welfare march can be a good start, but for this to work, all animal welfare organisations in Pakistan need to sit at the same table and raise a collective voice for animals. Secondly, animal welfare awareness needs to be addressed in schools so that children can be taught from a very young age to treat animals with kindness.
Moreover, the legislators need to legislate and make a holistic amendment to the currently existing Animal Cruelty Prevention Act. They need to extend the protection of the act to cover stray animals as well and set punishments for animal cruelty. The current act is a joke to animal welfare, and it is high time that an action is taken to address this issue.
Furthermore, the government needs to take some responsibility and put a ban on animal killings. It should also address the rabies issue by taking inspiration from the Istanbul model. The government’s stance that animal killings are justified is based on the threat of the spread of diseases by violent animals. Firstly, not all animals are violent and, therefore, a blanket killing spree of all animals is unjustified. Secondly, a small number of violent animals ought to be vaccinated and provided with a shelter facility. These shelter facilities need to be established in all major cities of Pakistan to offer vaccinations to all animals.
Only after all these steps are taken, can we say Pakistan cares for its animals? Only then can we say that Pakistan follows the Islamic principles of care owed to animals because no animal should ever be born to die a callous death.
The writer is an Animal Welfare Activist and currently works with an International Animal Welfare NGO