June 17, 2024
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
Videos of ‘Cammie’ the seven to eight month old camel calf have been doing the rounds, where she can be seen ‘weeping’ and braying in extreme pain, unable to move. But now, things are beginning to look up for her ever since she has been shifted to an animal shelter in Karachi.
On Friday June 14, an act of extreme cruelty surfaced in a remote village in Achro Thar, on the border of Sanghar, Sindh, when the camel calf which originally belonged to one Soomar Bihan lost its limb to another man’s temper.
The camel while grazing had strayed into neighbouring fields which were owned by the accused, a man whose clan name was Punjabi. The man ordered his people to use an axe and chop off the baby camel’s leg, knee down. Ever since then, social media has been buzzing with various versions of the incident. But even now details are unclear to many.
UNNAMED SUSPECT
Initially the name of the feudal-lord of the area was unknown. Upon more research it was discovered that the land had belonged to a land owner Ghulam Rasool Shar.
The camel owner Soomar Bihan while speaking to Voicepk said that his family owned some camels along with cattle, to make a living. When Bihan got to know that the leg had been chopped off, he instantly called his cousin for help.
“At first we began to ask around whose land it was and we found out it belonged to Ghulam Rasool Shar and that his men had cut off the leg,” he said. “I then took the severed leg to the wadera’s house but found out he was not there, however they let me talk to him on the phone. Shar said that he would get in touch but till next day he did not contact me. Now the government has the camel and they will supervise the healing of he wound and return the camel to me.”
He said that while the land is Ghulam Rasool’s the theka (given on rent) is with someone else.
Till now five people have been arrested who claim to have been directly involved in the incident, says Bihan.
“We wanted an FIR against the wadera but the police discouraged us and said we will lodge an FIR instead on ‘unknown persons’. Eventully though the FIR was lodged under the government’s supervision, but the main accused has not yet been arrested.
The names of those arrested include Rustam Shar, Abid Shar, Jaffar Jatt, Abdul Shakoor Shar, Gul Baig Lashari and Darya Khan Shar.
There were two FIRs filed against the suspects. Charges against the suspects included under Section 353 (assaulting a public official while on duty), Section 147 (engaging in a disorderly public disturbance), Section 148 (participating in a violent public disturbance, and Section 149 (being part of a group committing a crime together of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). On Sunday, they were presented in front of a magistrate and while the police requested for a two-week detainment (14 days) for further investigation, claiming they needed to locate the weapon used in the crime, they were given only 4 days in police custody.
The second FIR was filed because the suspects allegedly resisted arrest and attacked the police. It was filed under Sections 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the PPC.
“Most of the time we have never had any problems with each other,” says Bihan. “This is despite us voting for different parties. We vote for Pir Pagaro, while Ghulam Rasool Shar belongs to the PPP.”
“The police investigation is faulty,” says a Sanghar based journalist, Ghulam Mustafa. “They have detained haris (peasants) as suspects but not the power wielding people behind the incident,” he says. “The police have made errors while filing the FIR too – it was the right leg that was cut off while in the FIR it says left leg. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but in court these are the loopholes that lawyers take advantage of. There are also political undercurrents.”
Pakistan’s main law against animal cruelty is the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1890. While old, it criminalizes certain acts of cruelty. including killing or poisoning an animal with unnecessary suffering, maiming or rendering an animal useless, overloading or using animals for labor when unfit, abandoning a sick animal, and baiting or inciting animals to fight. The law applies to both domestic animals as well as those for commercial use, with a value exceeding a set amount, varying according to the animal.
Political leaders step in
It was after the local political leaders intervened, when things began to take shape.
“This was one of the most brutal and inhumane act that we have seen,” says Qurat-ul-Ain Marri, former Senator and sister of Shazia Marri, under whose constituency Sanghar falls. “When we discovered what was happened, we were shocked to see someone stoop this low and hurt a poor animal – that too only a few months old. But tragically it is living beings who are silent, like animals – and women who are also silenced like animals – that become tools of bargain. It is them who end up facing the worst consequences.”
But ‘Ainee’ Marri, says there was nothing political about it. She says everyone had their basic facts wrong as she was seeing on social media. Ghulam Rasool Shar was not involved just because he was the owner of the land. He had rented it out to ‘Punjabi’. “It is important to go after the correct culprit,” she said. “But ever since this news broke out on social media the issue has been politicized. This is nothing except a petty fight between two neighbouring land owners – one of them being Soomar Behan, whose cattle and camels often crossed over to Punjabi’s land. Neither of them are more pwoerful than the other. They both have medium sized land holdings – not too large, not too small.” She said that both did not get along with each other since the beginning.
Marri said that while Punjab had told Behan to keep his animals away from his land, this continued and one day he resorted to this cruel and brutal act. But while they were trying to get the FIR registered, Behan was doing other things like taking the animal’s leg all around the place, including the press club.
“By the time the administration reached him, he and Punjabi had already compromised!” she said.
PPP Minister Shazia Marri directed the police to have the FIR filed, but Behan refused to recognize anyone or take any names.
“My entire family and I could not sleep the whole night after this incident,” says Ainee Marri. “We couldn’t digest how cruel anyone could have been. And the main point is while the two main people have compromised, who is the one suffering? The poor camel. Like I mentioned, it is a mere tool.”
Marri told the District Commissioner to arrange some doctors from the Livestock department who could clean the camel’s wound. After being given initial treatment, the camel was taken out of the area.
“Behan wanted to be compensated for the camel, I offered to pay him. Essentially I have bought the camel from him,” says Ainee Marri. “We then shifted the terrified animal to Karachi to an animal shelter called Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS).”
GETTING BETTER
Meanwhile animal rights activists have been swinging into action. They are discussing helping the animal receive prosthetic limb. Already some manufacturers are being contacted.
But Sarah Jahangir who runs CDRS says that it will take some time for the prosthetic limb to come into the picture. “It will take at least two or three months for this wound to properly heal. We will need to remove the bone that is jutting out from within. Prosthetics will cost a lot so we will need crowdfunding for it. Its a whole process,” she said speaking to Voicepk.
“Cammie -which we have named her now – is still in severe pain,” she added. “She is dehydrated too. We have been giving her IV fluids, something to eat. She is on anti-biotics and pain killers. But perhaps more than physical it is her mental state. She is constantly crying, and extremely scared of anyone who is coming close to her. Even when we turned the fan on for her, she began braying in fear. So we are trying to give her space.”
While animal activists like Sarah Jahangir are there to pick up the pieces, cruelty towards animals is too deep rooted in a society to end. Even now, Jahangir says that they have received news of a donkey in Hyderabad who got his leg cut off. “We are bringing it in too,” she says.