LAHORE, May 13: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has called for making Pakistan an animal-friendly society, saying “we are not an animal-friendly nation.”

“Look at the horses pulling tongas. They are in a miserable condition. That may be because of a lack of facilities and awareness. Our cattle, famous all over the world for their qualities, are malnourished. Our knowledge about our own animals and cattle is limited. People in Europe know more about our animals than we do,” he said during his address at the first convocation of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences on Saturday.

The president, who is a dog fancier, said “our dogs are terribly submissive and sit with their heads down. They just don’t dare to look up. On the other hand the foreign dogs, one of which was brought for help in the earthquake affected areas, are alert and their eyes look bright. This is because our trainers beat up the dogs. The dogs have a psychology and they become submissive owing to bad treatment.”