Going to the dogs: Landlord sets dogs on 11-year-old

Izhar suffered nine bites and cannot walk because he crossed Khalil’s fields to get to school.

According to police officials, Moza Bakhteari Uch Sharif resident Abdul Haq said that his son Izhar lived nearly seven miles from the local school.

“Every day he needs to cross the field to get to the main road to catch his bus. If he walks around the fields he would miss it,” said Izhar’s father Haq. Haq told reporters that the local Allaha Wasaya landlord Khalil Lodhan had warned his son against taking the route through his fields. “My son only crosses Khalil’s field at one narrow point and he has never picked any crops. He only tries to get to school but they threatened his life several times,” Haq said.

“It is my property and I don’t want anyone coming on my land. However I did not release any dogs on the boy. He was being chased by someone else’s animals,” Khalil said.

Haq told police that Khalil had threatened him and his son several times. “He actually said that if he ever saw my son on his property then he would have his dogs rip him to pieces.

I told Izhar to take the longer route but he is a young boy and thought there would be no harm in taking the short cut,” Haq said. “It’s not even Khalil’s property. He is fighting a case over the land,” he said.

On Monday, Izhar was attacked by five ferocious dogs and is now in the hospital with multiple injuries. Izhar told The Express Tribune that he was going to school when the landlord set his dogs on him. “I ran as fast as I could but they took me down and then they were all biting me,” he told reporters from the hospital.

Izhar was taken to the DHQ, Hospital in Uch Sharif where he is being treated for multiple bite wounds. “We had to administer several tetanus shots and Rabies shot because he has been bitten in over nine places. He cannot walk right now,” said Dr Adeel Rahman.

Doctors of the DHQ hospital said that Izhar was out of danger but had suffered bites to both his legs, his arm and even his shoulder and neck. “We have treated the wounds and are sending him home. It will take him a week or more to recover but then he will be able to walk,” he said.

Uch Sharif SHO told The Express Tribune that police had lodged an FIR under Section 289 (Negligent conduct with respect to animal) of the Pakistan Penal Code against the accused landlord and was searching for their whereabouts.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2012.