The provincial government has decided to introduce a law to free animals from all kinds of abuse
KARACHI: Animal rights in Pakistan are commonly dismissed and ignored, often on the pretext that in a country where humans are not getting their rights, there is little point in focusing on advocating for the rights of animals. Whether that line of reasoning makes sense is debatable, but it is important to understand that animals need as much love and affection as any other living being, and the Sindh government has perhaps realised just that.
The provincial government has decided to introduce a law to free animals from all kinds of abuse. Just two days before the end of 2017, the Sindh cabinet approved a draft bill titled Sindh Welfare and Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act of 2017. Under this act animals across Sindh “will be granted inalienable rights to adequate nourishment, appropriate shelter and life in an environment free of abuse.” This bill shall soon be tabled in the Sindh Assembly.
This is great news not just for animal rights activists but also for all animal-loving citizens in the province, as there are a significant number of people who brutally abuse animals — even the ones they own, irrespective of which strata of the society they belong to. After the passage of the bill at least people who blatantly abuse animals can be tried in courts.
Ramsha Jahangir
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2018.
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