Pakistan Could Be Kinder To Its Strays

(Originally published in The Friday Times on March 4, 2026)

While state-sponsored care is missing, everyday citizens like hawkers, storekeepers, and cart vendors quietly step up to provide life-saving meals to neighbourhood strays

In the bustling streets of Raja Bazaar, you could almost miss the puppy sitting on a narrow sidewalk, looking bewildered and utterly alone amidst the clamour around him. Rawalpindi’s Raja Bazaar, where I went for a photography excursion, is one of the largest wholesale centres of Pakistan.

It is a visual and audible feast of people, cars, motorcycles, qingqis, and rickshaws — all jostling for space, going nowhere, and honking hopelessly. Carts laden with cardboard boxes, pulled by men or donkeys, crawl along the thoroughfare. The puppy sat on a piece of cardboard, seemingly put there for his comfort. The cart vendors by the side of the road told me that they had fed him milk that morning. They said that he was sick. Sadly, no one knew of an animal shelter where the dog could be taken, or of a number to call for help. Further down the street, I saw a cat scamper under a display table in front of a store. I crouched to take a photo and saw her affectionately nuzzling her mother. Cats were also being fed by the local hawkers and storekeepers. I kept making the ephemeral permanent on my camera’s sensor, and after having gone through a battery and an SD card, I started walking back toward home, thinking that at some point I would catch a rickshaw or a Qingqi. On my way back, I saw the familiar sight of feral cats and dogs patiently waiting for their regular scraps at a meat shop.

Unfortunately, many people in Pakistan are likely to buy only imported dogs and cats while they could have easily adopted local strays, who end up living a life of rejection

As I walked on the uneven earth by the roadside, I recalled that a couple of years ago I had gone to Bhatti Studios to get some images printed and saw over a dozen cats slumbering in front of the door. The cats knew the exact time of the daily ritual. They came alive at the sight of the gentleman carrying meat; some gave him angry cries of scolding for being a few minutes late, while others danced and jumped in joy. After the cats were fed, the remaining scraps were thrown to the kites circling above. They swooped down, picked up the pieces, sat atop a tall tree, and tore into the meat.

Street animals are an integral part of the Pakistani urban landscape, and while you will at times see common people caring for them, such acts are unfortunately rare. The state is either entirely missing or is busy culling strays by poison. The media is rife with reports of inhumane ways of controlling stray populations, and at times, harrowing incidents of animal cruelty.

Plenty of other countries offer inspiring examples of kindness to animals and use humane methods to control their stray populations. For instance, many nations in Europe have converted the spaces under public benches into shelters for strays to use during the frigid winter. Others have installed insulated tents in public spaces. Often, such nations use the classroom to teach children kindness to animals. The Netherlands, for example, requires students aged 11 to 16 years to attend a weekly class dedicated to the subject.

If you have ever visited Istanbul, you would see how dogs and cats are an alluring part of its neighbourhoods, lounging comfortably in shops, on front steps, or along sidewalks. They are deeply cared for by store owners and residents alike. In a wonderful melding of humanism and innovation, the city has installed vending machines that take in plastic bottles and, in return, dispense kibbles, which the street dogs and cats eat with glee.

That one magical contraption is taking care of the planet by removing plastic waste while simultaneously feeding some of our fellow creatures.

The humane strategy followed around the world to manage stray populations is known by the acronym TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-return).

This protocol makes sure that the animal populations remain healthy, in check, and completely safe for humans. Also, adoption is heavily encouraged, and several countries have even been able to eliminate stray populations using a successful combination of promoting adoption alongside the TNVR strategy.

Unfortunately, many people in Pakistan are likely to buy only imported dogs and cats while they could have easily adopted local strays, who end up living a life of rejection. Being native, they would be much more suited to the local environment compared to the foreign breeds, especially those originating from frigid climates.

Perhaps there is no better place to spread kindness to animals than the classroom, but other methods could also be adopted to change things for the better. I remember when I was growing up in the 1980s in Pakistan, PTV used to carry public service messages aimed at creating awareness among the masses on different areas of ordinary life. One was on the rules of traffic, for instance; another promoted literacy by teaching the basic alphabet. Perhaps the government could start such messaging again and include kindness to animals within it. In addition, I sincerely hope it establishes ongoing TNVR campaigns and widespread adoption programs.