Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr. Musadik Malik, chaired the first meeting of the Committee on Cruelty to Animals in Islamabad today.
The Committee was constituted on the directions of the Prime Minister with the objective of preparing a comprehensive framework to strengthen animal welfare in Pakistan, assess incidents of cruelty against animals and develop preventive measures. The Committee is also mandated to review and strengthen the legal framework, improve monitoring and enforcement systems to curb illegal wildlife trade, promote humane management of stray animals, and reform stray animal care facilities across the country.
During the meeting, participants discussed the prevailing challenges affecting animal welfare and wildlife protection. These included weak inter-institutional coordination, overlapping mandates among departments, inadequate veterinary infrastructure, weak penalties under existing laws relating to animal cruelty, poor enforcement of existing regulations, lack of a centralized monitoring and reporting system, financial and human resource constraints, and low levels of public awareness.
The Committee was briefed that Pakistan remains vulnerable to wildlife trafficking, with species such as falcons, freshwater turtles, big cats, crocodiles, birds, and primates reportedly being trafficked through illegal networks.
The meeting was informed that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad have already launched a TNVR (Track, Neuter, Vaccinate and Release) drive across various sectors of Islamabad for humane management of stray dogs. Further, a volunteer-based system is already supporting the feeding and care of stray animals. However, a broader volunteer engagement and a stronger operational framework are required to scale these efforts effectively.
Additional concerns raised during the meeting included illegal animal fighting rings, the glorification of cruelty through videos circulated on social media for publicity and online engagement, and harmful social practices that cause suffering to animals.
Dr. Musadik Malik directed that before the next meeting, baseline data should be collected not only from Islamabad but from all provinces to assess the scale of the challenge. He instructed that estimates be prepared regarding the facilities and financial resources needed for neutering and vaccination programmes, along with recommendations for scaling such initiatives nationwide.
Dr. Musadik Malik emphasized that cruelty against animals goes against the principles of humanity. He called for a comprehensive legal review of the existing framework to identify gaps, particularly where cruelty against animals and wildlife offences have not been adequately criminalized or enforced.
The Minister observed that even after stray dogs are neutered and vaccinated, many communities remain unwilling to allow their return, underscoring the urgent need for public education and awareness. He further directed that activists and experts working in the field of animal welfare should be brought together so that their knowledge and recommendations can be incorporated into policy planning. Dr. Musadik stressed the importance of taking provincial governments on board, noting that meaningful progress can only be achieved through collaboration.
The meeting was attended by relevant officers from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Ministry of Interior, Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), and representatives of civil society and animal welfare activists.
