TOBA TEK SINGH: Pirmahal police on Sunday arrested over a dozen people for arranging a dog fight in Chak 721-GB.

When a police party raided the venue outside the village, more than 60 people were watching the banned sport with most of them betting on fighter dogs.

Police also took into custody several motorcycles the gamblers abandoned during the raid. Toba police spokesperson Attaullah said 13 people had been sent behind the bars while search for the organisers of the illegal show was on.

A case has been registered on the complaint of Pirmahal police SHO Muhammad Azam.

Dog fights are illegal in Pakistan and punishable by a maximum six-month sentence under animal cruelty laws, but this does not deter the crowds. Most of these fights take place in the interior parts of Punjab. An intense fight can easily carry on for an hour.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2021