In the latest incident of animal abuse involving political workers using defenseless creatures as props to target a rival party, a video was uploaded and shared via Twitter on Friday showing a dog wrapped in a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Isaf (PTI) flag being shot mercilessly multiple times.
The 45-second video begins with the camera focused on a white dog in the sand, wrapped in a PTI flag. Two men can be heard in the background speaking in a regional dialect, while the video continues to show the dog.
The two then briefly appear before the camera, holding a flag belonging to a certain political party.
One of the men pulls out a gun and fires a single shot into the dog. He then fires a second shot. And then, a second later, a third.
The camera zooms into the dog, it's tail wagging and the video ends with the shooter still speaking.
WARNING! This video depicts animal cruelty which viewers may find emotionally distressing. Viewer discretion is advised.
A flurry of tweets followed in response to the original post, condemning the brutality and some also identifying the party.
On July 16, political workers had tortured a donkey with 'Nawaz' painted over its body.
The incident, it would appear, was a twisted reaction to Imran Khan's speech regarding PML-N workers going to receive Nawaz Sharif on his return to Pakistan.
The donkey was rescued by an animal welfare organisation, but six days later it reported that the animal had died due to its injuries.
While The Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act, 1890 exists, the punishments outlined are dated.
In an applaudable effort however, the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on February 7 this year, passed a bill titled “The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill, 2018”, which was moved by Senator Karim Ahmed Khawaja.
The bill seeks to increase the punishment levied on violators of the Act.
Before the passage of the bill, the fine for killing an animal with unnecessary cruelty was just Rs200. The current bill suggests this be increased to Rs300,000 along with imprisonment.
