Pakistani actor Nadia Afgan has urged people to teach children kindness towards animals, saying that treating animals with cruelty can have a negative impact on society.
Speaking on the podcast The Street Talks Back, Afgan discussed animal welfare in Pakistan and criticised the practice of killing stray dogs as a way of dealing with the rabies problem.
The actor, who has frequently spoken about animal rights, said children are often taught from an early age to fear dogs and consider them dirty or dangerous.
Afgan argued that this mindset contributes to the way animals are treated on the streets and said society should instead focus on responsible ways to manage stray animals and prevent the spread of rabies.
During the conversation, podcast host Huma Haq, founder of the Jaandar Animal Welfare Organisation, also discussed the treatment of stray dogs on Pakistani streets compared with other countries.
Afgan said streets in Pakistan are not always safe for children, women, animals or even men, adding that people should also consider the animals that already lived in these areas before cities expanded.
She pointed out that humans have domesticated dogs and later abandoned many of them, leaving the animals to survive on the streets.
The actor also shared her own experience of keeping dogs. She said some people in her neighbourhood had asked her not to take her Labrador and husky outside because they were concerned about children.
Afgan said she disagreed with those concerns and made an effort to introduce her dogs to children in the neighbourhood to help them become comfortable around the animals.
She also questioned the use of mass culling to deal with rabies, arguing that killing dogs does not address the underlying problem. According to Afgan, greater attention should instead be given to vaccination and other measures aimed at controlling the spread of the disease.
The actor further said authorities should reconsider their priorities when it comes to animal welfare, noting that resources are spent on killing stray dogs while vaccination and animal-control programmes receive less attention.
Afgan believes that properly cared-for stray dogs can also contribute to safer neighbourhoods because they establish territories and can discourage strangers from entering those areas.
Reflecting on her childhood, Afgan said her family had always been fond of animals. She recalled growing up with a dog during the 1980s and said her mother also rescued animals.
She described her family's relationship with animals as something passed down through generations, saying her grandmother kept various animals at home.
Afgan also rejected the idea that caring for animals is only possible for wealthy families. She said her mother's family in Quetta was not affluent but still had a strong affection for animals.
According to the actor, her mother grew up surrounded by ducks, chickens, cows, buffaloes, goats, dogs, cats and birds, an environment that helped develop her love for animals and was later passed on to her children.
