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Friday April 19, 2024

What to do with animal hides on this Eid?

Eidul Azha is an important Muslim festival, a celebration to mark the submission of Prophet Abraham (AS) to the will of Allah and his willingness to sacrifice his beloved son. It is observed one day after Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam. The occasion is marked by a ritual slaughter

By Waqar Ahmed
September 24, 2015
Eidul Azha is an important Muslim festival, a celebration to mark the submission of Prophet Abraham (AS) to the will of Allah and his willingness to sacrifice his beloved son. It is observed one day after Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam.
The occasion is marked by a ritual slaughter of animals throughout the Muslim world. According to fair estimates, some 10 million animals are sacrificed in Pakistan alone, some 100 million throughout the world.
In Pakistan, we have seen various political and religious groups fighting over hides of sacrificial animals each year. On many occasions and in large cities, these fights often turn violent, sometimes even deadly. This is not a surprise as hides fetch quite a good amount from tanners and other buyers. In this melee to collect hides, banned and proscribed groups are also involved.
Recently, following the successful operation in Karachi by the Rangers, a nexus between terrorism in the country and collection of funds, especially through the sale of hides after Eidul Azha, has been found. This deadly connection has to be severed so as to make sure that peace is brought back to the country, permanently.
In this regard, one may suggest that the government should collect the hides and use them for the TDPs displaced in Waziristan. These temporarily displaced persons have lost their homes and livelihoods. As conditions in North Waziristan Agency have greatly improved following the Operation Zarb-e-Azb, most of these TDPs are on their way back home. However, they require a large amount of money for their resettlement, which is not forthcoming from the traditional donors.
The World Bank recently approved a $75 million loan for Pakistan to help the government provide financial support to the TDPs, especially of North Waziristan. Some 120,000 households among 400,000 total displaced households in Fata will receive a Rs49,000 cash grant in two phases. The loan will finance the Fata Temporarily Displaced Persons Emergency Recovery Project. Not only the TDPs from North Waziristan but also from South Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber will receive the financial assistance from the government. However, this amount is meager compared to what these TDPs have lost. As such, collection of hides by the government and their subsequent sale can provide enough funds for the return and resettlement of these TDPs. Then some of this amount can also go to the families of victims of terrorism in the country.
Pakistan faces numerous political, administrative and logistical challenges following the counter-insurgency efforts in Fata, especially North Waziristan. Should residents in other parts of the country not help the government to tackle these massive challenges? The government should mull over central collection of hides, which could be a good way to generate funds for the TDPs.