Early Thursday morning, the decades-old pet market near Data Darbar at Bhatti Chowk Lahore was torn down in a surprise anti-encroachment operation. The demolition, carried out with heavy machinery and a large police presence, was part of the government’s plan to expand and redevelop the area around the shrine.
Shopkeepers said the operation began without warning, leaving them no chance to remove their cash, merchandise, or animals. Many claimed that birds and other pets were crushed under the rubble as bulldozers moved in. The market, which had more than 150 shops selling animals and pet accessories, had been a fixture in Lahore for over thirty years. Traders accused the authorities of acting suddenly and heartlessly, saying they were not allowed to enter their shops once the operation started.
Officials from the Auqaf Department said that about 16 kanals—roughly two acres—of government land had been cleared of illegal structures. They explained that the land belonged to the Metropolitan Corporation and that the move was part of a broader plan to develop the area. The Lahore Heritage Authority, they added, intends to set up new commercial centres nearby, where affected traders might later be relocated. However, the shopkeepers said they have not received any official offer, compensation, or even a clear explanation of what will happen next.
The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) maintained that repeated notices were issued before the demolition and dismissed reports of animals dying as “incorrect.” According to an LDA spokesperson, images circulating online of dead cats were unrelated to the operation and showed stray animals found near the site. The spokesperson also claimed that government teams helped traders remove their belongings before the demolition began.
Displaced traders rejected these statements, saying they were given no time to save their stock. One shopkeeper said, “They’ve destroyed our livelihoods. It feels like we’ve been killed.” Others said officials had earlier assured them that compensation would come first, but instead the demolition was carried out before dawn without any warning.
The LDA defended the move, saying the market was built unlawfully on government property included in the Bhatti Chowk remodeling project, aimed at easing traffic congestion and reducing pollution. The spokesperson insisted that no animals were harmed and challenged shopkeepers to provide proof if they believed otherwise.
As of this writing, officials from the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Auqaf Department have denied all allegations of animal deaths during the demolition. They maintain that shopkeepers were given multiple notices beforehand and were assisted in removing their belongings and animals prior to the operation.
What unfolded at Bhatti Chowk is more than an urban planning issue — it’s a chilling reminder of how casually animal lives are disregarded in Pakistan. In the rush to clear “encroachments,” heavy machinery rolled over cages, leaving behind lifeless birds and buried pets, while officials dismissed the outcry as “false reports.” Even if only a fraction of those claims are true, it reveals a deeper moral rot — our willingness to treat animals as disposable collateral in human affairs. The silence that follows such cruelty is even louder than the bulldozers themselves. Until authorities begin to see animal welfare as part of civic responsibility, not an afterthought, we’ll keep repeating the same tragedy — razing not just shops, but compassion itself.
Source: Tribune, DAWN
