Misplaced Pages

The sale and consumption of pork is mostly illegal in Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country where halal dietary guidelines are observed. Being 98.1853% Muslim majority makes pork hard to find. Like alcohol however, the meat may be consumed by non-Muslim citizens and foreigners who reside in the country.

Background

In Urdu and other regional languages, a pig is referred to as a suwar or khinzeer. Due to pork being outlawed, foreign airlines which fly to Pakistan, such as British Airways, follow these requirements by excluding pork-containing items from their meals.

Boar distribution

The Margalla Hills surrounding the capital city of Islamabad are home to a significantly large population of Eurasian wild boars. These pigs can weigh up to 100 kg and have sharp teeth, while the male adults typically also have upward curving tusks. The thickly-vegetated plains and ravines of Margalla Hills National Park provide a favourable living environment for the pigs, and their population is estimated to number 800,000, an exponential increase from 100,000 at one point. Known for their aggressive behaviour, they are considered a pest in the city, where they often overrun landfill sites in search of food and attack local residents. They are also known to have intruded into properties and caused traffic accidents. In addition to waste material, they feed on grass, roots and organic matter. In rural locations, they are regarded as a top agricultural pest, causing millions worth of damages in cost to crops. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad has sought to cull their population through various pest control measures, including by poisoning, laying traps, and granting boar hunting licences. Despite this, their distribution has not been affected significantly over the years due to high reproductive growth.

The wild hogs are also found elsewhere in the country, particularly near sugar plantations and to some extent the irrigated farms of maize, wheat, barley, rice, sorghum, potato, and millet crops, which are prone to damage when used by the pigs as a sanctuary. They are prevalent in the wildlife preserves of Changa Manga and Piranwala in Punjab, as well as in the national park areas of Murree and Azad Kashmir, the wider Potohar region, and in forestland or riparian areas next to the Indus River basin, with some numbers in Sindh. They are not common in the more arid and mountainous regions of the country's north and west, and are a rarity in the Peshawar and Kohat locations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As a result of dislocation from their natural habitats due to climate change, urbanisation and food competition with other species, some boars have migrated upward into the Galyat region which includes the Ayubia National Park and adjoining areas. In Balochistan, the boars are found in a smaller concentration on agricultural fields, riverbanks and forests in the Nasirabad, Sibi, Kachhi, Lasbela, and Jafarabad districts.

Hunting

It is posited that one of the reasons for the boar's large population is the lack of a real predator, and because it does not have consumptive use for the vast majority of Pakistanis out of cultural and religious beliefs. The wild boar is not a protected species, and as such used to be hunted freely in Pakistan, by both locals and foreigners (some of whom came for trophy hunting). During the 1980s, wild hogs were targeted extensively for pest control. In Punjab, farmers were given a payment of USD$1 for each pig hunted and the program was estimated to have culled up to 20,000 boars annually. The military also culled nearly 10,000 boars in a single elimination exercise. The program was abandoned later due to lack of funds. The poaching of wild creatures such as boars was once considered a "time-honoured sport" (shikar) for men, who would locate and hunt the animals for days along the bordering regions with India, often straying close to the boundary unintentionally. Once making their kill, they would either hand over the boar to their Christian servants who ate pork, or sold the meat to butchers in India.

In 2006, the CDA enacted a programme to cull wild boars using poisoning techniques. In the 2010s, a ban was imposed on hunting in Islamabad due to security issues relating to carrying weapons, which led to another population increase. The CDA stopped the wide distribution of hunting permits in this regard.

Import and consumption

Pork products are imported into Pakistan to serve the culinary needs of the country's growing Chinese community. Unlike the Pakistani version of Chinese cuisine, which relies on chicken or beef gravies made with ingredients such as garlic, tomatoes and ginger, authentic Chinese cuisine is described to be much different with heavy use of pork ingredients in dishes.

Export

The export of swine meat from Pakistan is legal under a statuary regulatory order provided by the Ministry of Commerce. In the 2015–16 financial year, Pakistan exported $2.8 million worth of swine meat, and an additional $447,000 in the 2016–17 financial year based on State Bank of Pakistan data. The vast majority of these exports were delivered to Afghanistan, to serve the dietary requirements of NATO personnel stationed there. According to the Daily Times, it remained unclear if these exports comprised wild boar meat or commercially raised pork, the latter being preferred in the food industry, leading to speculations of undisclosed pig farming in the country. The All Pakistan Meat Exporters and Processors Association (APME&PA) categorically denied the involvement of any of its members in this sector.

See also

• Animal husbandry in Pakistan
• Cattle slaughter in India
• Khanzir, Afghanistan's only pig
• Pork in Ireland

References

1. ^ Hashim, Asad (3 September 2017). "Pakistan: A slice of China in Islamabad". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
2. Haider, Shuja (20 November 2019). "The house liquor of the Muslim world". The Outline. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
3. ^ Douglass, Irene Aylworth (25 August 2015). An American Woman in Pakistan: Memories of Mangla Dam. Wheatmark, Inc. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-60494-999-5. "What do they do with the wild boars they shoot?" I remembered that Muslim's don't eat pork. Some hunters sell them across the border in India to Christian butchers or give the boar to Christian servants who eat pork.
4. ^ "Indian or Eurasian Wild Boar". Wildlife of Pakistan. 1999. Archived from the original on 7 September 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
5. Grafton-Green, Patrick (2 June 2019). "British Airways London to Pakistan flights resume after more than 10 years". Evening Standard. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
6. ^ Brulliard, Nicolas (27 December 2011). "In Islamabad, it's always the Year of the Pig". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
7. ^ Ali, Kalbe (21 October 2013). "Due to ban on hunting, wild boars rampant in Islamabad". Dawn. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
8. ^ "Hogs going wild in Pakistani capital". Deseret News. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
9. ^ "Wild boars population increases in Galliyat". The Nation. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
10. Ali, Kalbe (27 October 2019). "The thriving wildlife in the Margalla Hills". Dawn. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
11. ^ "'People's interventions in Margalla Hills disturbing wildlife habitats'". The Nation. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
12. ^ Virk, Amjad Tahir (1991). "Management plan for wild ungulates in Balochistan, Pakistan". ScholarWorks at University of Montana. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
13. Ahmad, Ejaz; Brooks, Joe E.; Hussain, Iftikhar; Khan, M. Hafiz (1995). "Reproduction in Eurasian wild boar in central Punjab, Pakistan" (PDF). RCIN. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
14. ^ Hamza, Abrar (7 September 2017). "Pakistan exports pork worth millions of rupees to Afghanistan". Daily Times. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
15. "Victims of wild animal attacks to get compensation". Dawn. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
16. Anwar, Shahzad; Sarwar, Malik Ghulam (23 July 2015). "Swine sweats: Wild boars summering in the hills". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 13 April 2020.

v t e Pigs
Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Artiodactyla Suborder Suina Family Suidae Subfamily Suinae Genus Sus Species Sus domesticus
Domestic	Breeding Shows Farming Intensive farming Sty Pannage Toilet Hog oiler Gestation crate Cross-fostering Swineherd Feedback As food Bacon Bondiola Capocollo Ham Lard Pork Chitterlings Scalder Slaughter Suckling Blood Religious restrictions Scottish pork taboo Cuts Back bacon Boston butt Fatback Ham hock Pig's trotters Pork belly Pork chop Pork jowl Loin Tenderloin Ribs Spare ribs Pork rind Pork steak Ear Tail Other uses Bladder Racing War Wrestling Truffling
Wild and feral	Wild boar Heraldry Hunting Razorback Boar–pig hybrid
In culture	Freddy the Pig Flitch of bacon custom Floyd of Rosedale Miss Piggy "Pigs in Space" Porky Pig Piglet "The Three Little Pigs" Animal Farm Old Major Napoleon Snowball Squealer Babe Babe: Pig in the City Bad Piggies Blandings Castle Empress of Blandings My Brother the Pig Charlotte's Web The Sheep-Pig Peppa Pig Super Pig Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig Fair, then Partly Piggy Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks Kazoops! Olivia (character) TV series Pink Floyd pigs Pinky and Perky Preston Pig Rasher Porco Rosso Spider-Ham Spider pig The Tale of Little Pig Robinson The Tale of Pigling Bland "This Little Piggy" Toot & Puddle Huxley Pig Wibbly Pig Zhu Bajie Hamilton Hocks Pig City
Other	List of individual pigs List of fictional pigs Piganino Pigasus (politics)
Category: Pigs

v t e Pakistani cuisine by region
Balochi	Kaak Sajji
Kashmiri	Dum aloo Kahwah Kashmiri tea Rogan josh Shab deg Wazwan
Muhajir	Mughlai Biryani Kebab Korma Nargisi kofta Pasanda Rumali roti Shami kebab Sheer korma Miscellaneous Aloo tikki Baingan ka bartha Balushahi Bhalla Dahi chutney Golgappa Hyderabadi biryani Haleem Paya Masala chai Panipuri Nihari Paan Sheermal
Pashtun	Afghan bread Bolani Chapli kebab Gosh feel Kabuli pulaw Kadchgall Kadu bouranee Kahwah Mantu Peshwari naan
Punjabi	Lahori Chargha Lahori fried fish Gosht karahi Murgh cholay Kata-kat Miscellaneous Bhatoora Chana masala Chole bhature Makki di roti Panjiri Punjabi pulao Sarson da saag Sugarcane juice Tandoori chicken Tikka
Saraiki	Lassi Sohan halwa
Sindhi	Beh Hyderabadi pickle Shikrarpuri pickle Sai bhaji Sindhi biryani Sindhi pulao Sindhi karhi Rabri
Common dishes	Aloo gobi Aloo gosht Aloo paratha Bun kebab Chaat Chapati Chicken tikka Chutney Dal Falooda Flattened rice Gajar ka halwa Gulab jamun Halwa Halwa poori Kheer Kulfi Puri Pakistani pickle Pakistani rice dishes Jalebi Khagina Kheer Khichra Khichri Laddu Maghaz Naan Pakora Papadum Paratha Pulao Roti Saalan Samosa Chorba Tandoor bread Tea Zarda
Pakistani diaspora	Balti (food) Chicken tikka masala Pakistani Chinese
Category Commons Cookbook Food portal Pakistan portal

v t e Economy of Pakistan
Currency, governance, regulation	State Bank Governors Budget Ministry of Finance Finance Minister Rupee Banknotes Coins Taxes Board of Revenue Bureau of Statistics Securities and Exchange Commission Companies Government-owned companies
History	Numbering system Five-Year Plans Nationalisation Privatisation Corporate sector Islamic economics Liberalisation Medium Term Development Framework Stagflation National debt Circular debt IMF relations Foreign aid US aid Current economic crisis
Transport	Airlines Airports Bridges Motorways Highways Rail Stations Ports Vehicle plates
Industry	Resources and production Renewable energy Solar Wind Nuclear power Fuel extraction Food Agriculture Rice production Tea Livestock Fishery Forestry Mining Financial services Banking List Insurance KIBOR Pakistan Stock Exchange KMI 30 Index KSE 30 Index KSE 100 Index Other Education Media Cinema Newspapers Radio Television Music Healthcare AIDS Hospitals Manufacturing Aerospace Automotive Defence Pharmaceuticals Real estate Science and technology Internet Telecommunications Transport Books and publishing Cottage and small scale Forestry Information technology Textile Tobacco Tourism Medical tourism Mobile phones
People and labour	Billionaires Businesspeople Labour force Child labour Poverty Pensions Trade unions Unemployment
Domestic economies	Azad Kashmir Balochistan Gilgit-Baltistan Islamabad Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Punjab Faisalabad Lahore Rawalpindi Sindh (Karachi)
Business districts	I. I. Chundrigar Road Blue Area Gulberg, Lahore Saddar Serai Quarter
See also	Foreign trade International ranking Provinces by GDP Pakistanis by net worth Standard of living
Category

• Pork
• Animal husbandry in Pakistan
• Animals in Islam
• Livestock
• Meat industry
• Pakistani cuisine
• Sharia in Pakistan