436,408 cases of dog bites in 22 months, but the government shows little interest in solving the problem
A joint conference on stray dogs organized by Jamaat-e-Islami Lahore Public Relief Committee and animal rights NGOs. JI Lahore Amir, advocate of Ziauddin Ansari, chaired the meeting. PHOTO: ASIF MEHMOOD
LAHORE:
Animal rights organizations and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Lahore on Thursday announced a joint campaign against inhumane killing of stray dogs and rising incidents of biting attacks injuring citizens across Punjab.
They agreed on key measures, including adopting scientific methods of population control, developing a coordinated strategy and urging district authorities to abandon conventional practices. The understanding was reached during a meeting held in Lahore between representatives of JI and various animal welfare organisations.
Among the participants were JI Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari, Public Relief Committee Chairman Qaiser Sharif, advocates Altamash Saeed and Mian Ahmad Farooq of Environmental and Animal Rights Consultants Pakistan, Dr Aamna Ubaid Khawaja of LCWU Animal Protection and Welfare Society, and Dr Bilal of Punjab Police Animal Rescue Centre.
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Also in attendance were Fariha from Stray Hearts Rescue, representatives from Raffles Animal Welfare Registry, Barrister Masooma Bukhari from Farakhanda and Shehrat Bukhari Foundation, Aafia Khan from Give Us Life Animal Welfare, Musa Shoaib from TODS Welfare Society and Syed Mohsin from Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (Project Benji), among others.
Sharif said that a ten-year-old boy was bitten by stray dogs even in Askari 10 area in Lahore.
“It was neither the first nor the last incident, as 436,408 dog bites were reported in just 22 months, but the government is not interested in solving the problem; the unreported numbers may be much higher,” Sharif said.
Addressing the meeting, Ansari said culling stray dogs was not a sustainable solution, adding that scientific approaches like trap, neuter, vaccinate and release could prove more effective.
Participants endorsed JI’s eight-point agenda and ensured cooperation in field work and technical support.
The meeting also urged district administrations to move away from traditional methods and implement the proposed recommendations to ensure a balance between public safety and animal welfare.
