KARACHI:
As the dust settled on Saturday, people came out of their homes in Lyari to find around 25 donkeys lying dead in the narrow lanes.
“Most of them were shot dead,” said a resident. “We are poor people. There is not enough space inside our homes for them. We had no choice but to leave them on the streets.”
The highest number of donkey casualties was reported from lanes around Gabol Park. Around eight were killed in a street right off Cheel Chowk, one of the worst hit by the fighting.
Sindh Donkey Cart Association president Syed Zulfiqar Shah said at least two prize ‘race donkeys’ were among those dead. “Bullets were being fired, there was tear gas shelling and grenade blasts. We cannot even imagine what the poor animals went through.”
Lyari is popular for many sports, including boxing and football, but it is equally famous for donkey racing. A competition is held every other week in which the owner of the fastest donkey is rewarded.
The donkeys used for transportation cost around Rs70,000. “But the ones used for racing are expensive. They are Iranian breed, fed almonds and their legs are oiled. One of these animals can cost up to Rs300,000,” said Shah. None of the animals were insured.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (13)
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very bad
This is so incredibly sad. " And the most amazing thing is that the people who depended on these poor creatures for their livelihoods themselves cared less about their lost earnings and more about their side-by-side 'workers' as shown in the comment of the Cart Association president. This government is probably the worst I can imagine because its not that they dont care about people in areas that are not their strongholds, they dont even care about the people in the areas which are the backbone of their party for example Lyari as shown with this and interior Sindh with the floods, among so many things. Next election, please people, have some sense and vote for someone else!
This is completely un-Islamic and totally goes against animal rights in Islam.
On of the survived and still serving the post of interior minister.
Oh,they really meant Donkey the animal...
I thought,they were referring to the idiots who are indulging in street war against the police....
Honestly,I prefer donkeys to them.....
I am extremely disgusted but can we expect any better from people for whom human life is not worth anything.
it made me cry :(
Express Tribune, for God sake, please change the picture!! have some respect for the poor creatures, showing dead animal bodies like that ISN'T ethical at all, animals or not!! Extremely insensitive of the paper.
There is no humanity left in this wretched nation. What did the poor animals do to deserve this?
So the donkeys are now suffering the same fate as the humans of Lyari.
Pakistan is a brutal state... where humans are killed mercilessly in suicide bombs what to say of donkeys... then also it is sad. Zulm.
Oh God, reading this, I am reminded of the PTV drama serial "Lyari Express" aired a few years back. I recall how Shabbir Jan cried at the loss of his race donkey named Gringo. There is no limit to the madness in Lyari. God save the innocent humans, and the animals too, or rather, may God destroy the trouble-makers.
Someone open a public target practicing range. They may actually hit someone dangerous for once.