In a first, Peshawar man booked for killing pet dog

Police carrying out investigation, seeks arrest of suspects

PESHAWAR:

Police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday registered the first-ever case of theriocide after a pet dog was shot dead.

The FIR mentioned that the animal was in agony after being shot and was not helped by onlookers. The pet was reportedly guarding its owner, Shah Rehman, who was playing in the fields when two armed men opened fire on the dog.

The pet dog was reportedly guarding the owner - Shah Rehman son of Saif-ur-Rehman – who was playing in the fields when two armed men - Shoaib and Tahir – opened fire on the animal.

“I have no enmity with anyone. The accused shot for fun and killed the dog,” Shah Rehman said.

According to the report lodged at Matni Police Station, the incident took place three days ago but the accused managed to escape from the scene as they were residents of Darra Adam Khel, a sub-division of Kohat District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Police stated that the investigation is underway and various sections of the law would be included in the case after the post-mortem report of the animal is received. Police officials added that efforts were underway to arrest the accused.

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"It is illegal to kill birds and other animals," said senior advocate of the Peshawar High Court Abbas Sangeen while talking to The Express Tribune. He added that the law provides three to five years imprisonment and a fine under section 429 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for such acts.

Another senior advocate of the high court, Ali Gohar, said if a pet, such as a horse, camel or a dog was killed or paralyzed by giving poison, then according to section 428 of the PPC, the crime was punishable by two years of imprisonment and fine.

“Very few people in Pakistan are aware of the laws regarding the killing of animals and birds. In Europe, killing animals is punishable by many years, with heavy fines,” Gohar added.