THERE are a lot of customs and traditions in our society that are condemnable. The problem is that some of these customs have become a permanent feature of a few segments of our society and people indulge in them with certain sense of dignity and pride. If such customs are not practised, some people consider it a blow to their honour. These things often turn the best of friends into worst foes.
In our society, there is a long list of social evils that need to be taken to the cleaners. One of them is dog fighting. The culture of dog fighting has existed for long in the NWFP. Dogs are often kept as pets or trained for hunting and guarding etc. Sometimes, they can lose their sense. However, whether on a leash or kept free, dogs will be dogs.
The many breeds of dogs include cocker spaniel, greyhound, collie, Dalmatian, Pekingese, Alsatian, poodle and Scotch terrier.
Preparing dogs to fight is not an easy task. A couple of persons are employed to train the dogs. They have to go through serious training, which includes taking a healthy diet and rigorous exercises. “In this regard, the amount spent on such a dog is between Rs8,000 to Rs 16000,” says a man who is involved in the culture for long. To improve the dog’s stamina, he has to run 20 to 30kilometres early in the morning and in the evening every day.
During the event, the dogs are given five to 30 minutes to win or lose the fight. Dog owners also have the option to leave the dogs fighting till one of them completely bogs down. During the fighting, none of the party cares if their dog is bleeding or dying. If the dog gets defeated, his master loses all respect for him and the dog would either be given to someone or become a stray dog. Whereas the value of the winning dog increases by leaps and bounds and makes his master earn many a rupee. When the dog is declared the winner, those who favour him resort to aerial firing and celebrate fervently.
The dog fighting culture is not only rapidly spreading in the NWFP, but is also getting popular in some other parts of the country. In spite of the cultural differences the culture is more or less the same and the traditional groups of the four federating units frequently interact with each other. They don’t want to leave the culture, brushing aside the fact that their involvement in this social evil may have disasterous effects on many people’s minds.
The dog fighting culture in Pakistan is absolutely different from the countries where this is practised. In European countries and the US dog competitions are held in various categories such as beauty, talent, poise, ahem and evening wear. In such competitions people get the opportunity to watch the contests where prettiest dogs could win. When this correspondent asked the owner of a dog what he could get from a dog fight he said: “It’s great fun. For a good dog fight I can sacrifice not only all the resources that I have, but even my life.”
To avoid problems related to law and order the government has imposed a ban on dog fighting. But those who are involved in the business have defied the ban and continued the practice. The local administrations had imposed Section 144, putting a ban on dog as well as cock fighting. Most dog fighters belonging to district Swabi told this scribe in January that they had held four dog fighting shows in that month alone. During the two previous fighting contests they feared that the police might raid the venue. However, when the police did nothing, it encouraged them. At the end of each fighting show the fighters selected the day as well as the venue for the next round of fighting.
In this respect, the questions that spring to mind are: Why has the government failed to uproot the culture of dog fighting? Why has the phenomenal rise in the evil culture continued? In this regard, certain responses come to mind.
First of all, many influential and affluent people and local politicians are involved in dog fighting and the government machinery can’t do anything against them. There are also some traditional groups who actively participate in the event. The traditional approach is one of the main causes of spreading the odious culture. These groups take part in the fighting with great pride.
Secondly, the approach of the police has always based on favouritism. They have never taken up the issue in true light. Police officials have always given preference to loyalty to some politicians over professional competence.
Thirdly, a great number of young people find dog fighting a good pastime. This happens primarily because of the fact that they don’t have anything constructive to indulge themselves in.
Last but not least, the social and cultural set up of our society has also encouraged undesirable activities. Many people do not give importance to government policies or directives. Any policy, idea or social contract can only be realized when all communities living in society support it. Only awareness among the masses can bring about a change. Also, imparting proper education can help achieve the goal.
Having said that, one must mention that our attitude towards animals is not friendly. Social workers and members of different NGOs should urge the local administrations to implement the ban order in letter and spirit, demanding that all those who indulged in dog and cock fighting should be punished.
THERE are a lot of customs and traditions in our society that are condemnable. The problem is that some of these customs have become a permanent feature of a few segments of our society and people indulge in them with certain sense of dignity and pride. If such customs are not practised, some people consider it a blow to their honour. These things often turn the best of friends into worst foes.
