The Head of the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit, Salman Sufi, has refuted viral media reports that Pakistan will export donkeys and dogs to China.
He tweeted, “There has been no decision taken or even under consideration to export donkeys or dogs to any country for any purposes,” and warned against the dissemination of “unverified news” in this regard.
Regarding news of Donkey/Dog export-
There has been no decision taken or even under consideration to export Donkeys or Dogs to any country for any purposes.
Please do not share unverified news. #AnimalRights
— Salman Sufi (Get New Covid Booster Today) (@SalmanSufi7) November 2, 2022
Pakistani animal lovers and the public have been in shock since early October when several local media outlets reported that China is looking to import donkeys and dogs from Pakistan.
The Senate Standing Committee on Commerce was told of this in a meeting on 4 October that was chaired by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada.
Why does China Want Donkeys and Dogs from Pakistan?
Pakistan is among the world’s largest donkey population countries while China is number one. However, the latter’s demand for donkeys exceeds its supply, for which it imports them from other countries. China sources at least two million donkeys locally and the remaining three million from abroad.
It reportedly requires around five million donkeys a year to produce and meet the demand for ejiao — donkey glue that is used as medicine or as a tonic for health and beauty purposes.
Ejiao has been used as medicine for the last two millennia and is available today in various edible forms to treat circulation concerns and ease aches and pains.
In addition to this, the Chinese are also known to consume donkey meat in regular meals.
Donkey meat hot pot is one of the specialties in Liaocheng, east China. The brightly colored and delicately textured donkey meat slices are put into the simmering and collagen-rich donkey bone soup and cooked, and then dipped in the sauce, making a delicious and comforting meal. pic.twitter.com/g2NG7mbdtn
— Discover Liaocheng (@LiaochengD) October 1, 2022
Last year, the Government of Punjab reportedly set up a farm in District Okara with the intent to export donkeys and earn foreign exchange. Spanning 3,000 acres, Bahadurnagar Farm is said to be the first government-owned facility where top foreign breeds are reared for their export to China and other countries.Â
In addition to savoring donkey meat, the Chinese are known to be fond of eating dog meat. The country’s demand for dog meat is the highest in the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, and Jilin. Besides this, Yulin in Guangxi has been holding an annual dog meat-eating festival since 2009.
These details had led to frantic concerns and speculations among animal lovers across Pakistan of late, with no official confirmation until today.
