Animals, whether domesticated, wild or stray, have silently suffered for years owing to a lack of proper legal protections. Livestock fixed to no space to move, stray dogs beaten up by humans and parrots kept inside cages, these are a few examples of extreme cruelty towards animals that prevailed for many years. The aged colonial rule, Animal Rights Act of 1890 has struggled to address issues and protect animals from neglect and abuse. A new animal welfare law passed by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assembly, however, marks a truly transformative step towards ensuring humane treatment of animals.

The provincial assembly passed a law, for the first time in the history of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which is all-inclusive and would check cruelty against animals as well as provide full welfare mechanisms for them. Penalties for all forms of mistreatments relating to a six-month imprisonment and fines up to Rs100,000 have been given for acts of cruelty, overburdening, or harming animals. It also makes humane slaughter obligatory in licensed slaughtering houses and forbids animal/bird fights. The criminals are given three months imprisonment while a more severe time is put when cruelty commits itself for the second time.

The act also outlines heavy control measures over the transport of animals/ birds for safe and comfortable transfer. Only veterinary doctors will be allowed to operate on animals, and owners concealing violations of animal rights will face fines of Rs10,000 and up to three months in prison. There will be a welfare committee involving the director general (extension) in Livestock and Dairy Development overseeing these measures. This committee advises local administrations and slaughterhouses and manages stray animal populations, supports rehabilitation centers for animals and veterinary hospitals, and raises public awareness in the area of welfare of animals.

The Directorate General’s veterinary team will comprise inspectors appointed from within the team to take legal action on cases of animal illness, injury, or cruelty. The Act will also place some standards in animal living conditions, ban unlicensed veterinary practices and hence regulate the use of animals in sports and other activities. Appeals for penalties must be lodged within 30 days as a means of reviewing.

It aims at trying to eradicate the worrying state of animal suffering, especially as practiced in the case of donkeys and dogs. Donkeys, for example, are seen being overstretched in their work in carrying heavy luggage, among other burdens that far outweigh their capacity, making this legislation timely. This landmark legislation is a move toward rearing compassionate or will be treating animals within the region with kindness.

Livestock and domesticated animals in the region are usually kept tied to posts and not provided much freedom of movement, while stray dogs live a miserable life with hunger and diseases and frequent attacks by human beings. Children naturally throw stones at stray dogs, thus further exacerbating their condition. Similarly, parrots which survive wild lifestyles by flying in flocks, sometimes traveling hundreds of kilometers, languish in most homes in cages leading poorly nourished, lonely, and stressed life.

The colonial-era Animal Rights Act of 1890 has long been outdated and irrelevant to the modern challenges facing the country, while the brand-new animal welfare law passed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is a giant leap forward in the progressive scheme of things. It enforces various aspects of cruelty and punishment meted out in the form of three months of imprisonment or Rs50,000 fine for hurting or overloading animals. Repeat offenders receive double penalties. Organizing fights of animals or birds: Three months imprisonment; while the owners who keep concealing their violations of animal rights will face a penalty of Rs10,000 or three months imprisonment. Conditions of staying in the vet practice without license penalties and conducting futile experiments are also provided.

All these cases will be tried by a first-class judicial magistrate. To execute the law properly, humane animal transportation is required and a welfare committee is constituted headed by the Director of Livestock and Dairy Development. This committee would work towards the protection of animals against cruelty, advise local administrations and slaughter houses in efforts towards reducing suffering, and watch over stray dog populations—hopefully sterilizing them rather than poisoning them, as was done previously. The committee would also support rehabilitation of animals, animal hospitals, and sensitization on animal rights, while recommending the addition of animal welfare education to school curriculums. This all-inclusive law encompasses nearly all the arguments that advocates on humane treatment of animals raise. A model, as this could be followed by the other provinces, yet the likelihood of success of this law does not merely depend on its content but, more importantly, on the government commitment to implement and conform the public.

This pioneering piece of legislation tackles a myriad of concerns toward animal welfare, giving other provinces an example to look up to. Moreover, the completion of even the most detailed laws does not guarantee much without strictly enforced compliance and public consciousness, because it depends on how the government can be committed to having everyone obey and fostering a caring society. Deterred by little action, this law may symbolize the start to much-needed change in attitudes toward animals.