PM Imposes Fines, Sets Jail Term For Animal Cruelty as Part of Welfare Initiatives

In a much-awaited landmark move, the Head of the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit, Salman Sufi, announced a number of reforms for animal welfare in Pakistan in a press conference at the PTV Headquarters today.

He termed animal welfare as “another neglected sector in Pakistan” on which “no studies or work has been done to date”.

“There is a law from 1800, on the basis of which we have been monitoring animal welfare. Now, with the Prime Minister’s approval, an amendment is being made to the law,” Sufi explained.

He said that the federal government has already issued a notification in the ICT region, the highlights of which are:

1. Live animal testing has been banned in Islamabad from today (30 June 2022) onward.
2. Animals will not be used for live testing in any veterinary college or industrial complex.
3. A hotline is being launched in Islamabad to report cruelty against animals and pets.
4. Cruelty to animals and pets will result in fines ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 15,000 and a jail term.
5. Pet markets are being regulated, and standard operating procedures (SOP) are being announced in this regard.
6. Violating the pet market SOPs will result in a fine and the pet shop being shut down.
7. An amendment to the law is ready to be enforced at the national level. The law department has vetted it, and it will be presented in the next session of the National Assembly. This will be Pakistan’s first comprehensive Animal Welfare law.
8. Later on, the provinces will be requested to implement it as well so that the issue of animal welfare may be resolved in a better way in Pakistan.

The reform comes in the wake of a month of protests across Pakistan and international calls to end animal abuse in the country, particularly at veterinary colleges and pet markets.

Sufi had previously assured that Prime Minister is also “an animal lover and has taken stern notice of animal welfare issues,” and that the Strategic Reform Implementation Unit was “working on a broad spectrum of initiatives for animal welfare and protection,” in consultation with all the concerned stakeholders.