AS the nation celebrates Eidul Azha today, there will be two important points to remember while carrying out the sacrifice: firstly, the hides of sacrificial animals should not end up in the hands of militant outfits, and secondly, both citizens and the state have a responsibility where the removal of offal and maintenance of cleanliness are concerned.

Across Pakistan, hundreds of thousands of animals will be sacrificed today; this translates into a large amount of hides. While citizens will be donating these to charity outfits and religious institutions (who then sell them to tanneries) militant outfits will also be on the lookout for hides to generate income.

The interior ministry has published a list of banned outfits, along with organisations under observation — mostly consisting of jihadi and sectarian groups as well as ethno-nationalist separatists —and citizens need to consult this list to ensure their sacrificial hides do not end up in the hands of terrorists.

The state should also remain vigilant; while publishing the list and announcing a code of conduct where collection of hides is concerned are important steps, law enforcers must keep their eyes open to ensure hides don’t end up funding violent actors, and that citizens are free to donate the skins to legitimate institutions of their choice, without coercion. The state should demonstrate it is serious about cutting off all funding sources to militants, as sacrificial hides can earn the latter billions of rupees.

Meanwhile, both the PAF and the CAA have issued appeals to citizens to dispose of animal waste properly to avoid attracting scavenging birds that pose a serious risk to aircraft. Those living in the vicinity of airports and air bases must be extra careful when disposing of offal.

In general, a greater effort is needed to ensure that public hygiene is maintained during the Eid days. While the sacrifice is a religious obligation, so is keeping the environment clean; hence, offal must be deposited at designated spots.

Moreover, civic bodies throughout the country must remain alert to collect the animal waste and dump it in landfills, and to keep roads and streets clean. Big cities like Karachi are already awash with garbage; unless civic bodies pick up animal waste efficiently, the situation will only deteriorate.

With the cooperation of the citizenry and the state, a more hygienic atmosphere during Eid can be ensured.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2018