MCC asked about action against illegal possession of exotic animals
Zubair Qureshi
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday observed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should make all the political parties realize that exhibiting animals like lions, donkeys in their political rallies/assemblies might put them in trouble.
This brings unnecessary pain and suffering to the poor animals and amounts to committing an offence. Chief Justice Athar Minallah observed this in a three-page order issued after hearing of a petition filed by the Pakistan Animals Welfare Society against exhibition/display of animals in the political parties’ rallies. She has made the Ministry of Climate Change (MCC) as a party.
Recently, a lion was brought to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rally in Lahore addressed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter and Vice President of the PML-N Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
Similarly, the political workers of different parties in order to make fun of their political rivals display donkeys in their rallies and sometime torture the poor animal to express their anger against that particular rival.
to the petitioner, the exotic animals like lions, falcons, tigers, reptiles and others are constantly imported and kept privately in the country by different persons.
Sometimes, they are exposed to hour-long rallies and displayed there. Such a treatment exposes them to pain and sufferings which is an offence under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876.
The petitioner through its counsel called upon the court to stop this ill-treatment of the animals by the political parties.
In his order, Justice Athar Minallah held that ‘any animals included in the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora 1973 are liable to confiscation if they are found in possession without a permit or certificate which is an offence under the Act of 2012 and punishable under Section 3.”
The judge also mentioned that a senior official of the Ministry of Climate Change (Deputy Conservator) Zona Zaidi told the court that several letters have been written to the provincial governments regarding actions against persons who have illegally imported the exotic animals and kept them in unlawful possession but no action has so far been taken.
The court observed that the stance on behalf of the federal government did not seem to be in conformity with its obligations under the Act of 2012.
The court directed the Ministry of Climate Change to submit a report highlighting actions taken against persons who are in possession of exotic animals without a permit or who display them in violation of the Act 2012.
The court later adjourned the hearing until May 20, 2022.
