Maryam Nawaz ends legal permission to keep pet lions in Punjab

LAHORE (Web Desk) - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has decided to abolish the legal permission for keeping pet lions across the province.

The decision was taken after the chief minister took strict notice of an incident in which eight-year-old Wajid lost his arm. On the chief minister’s directives, the child was shifted to Ganga Ram Hospital, and instructions were issued to provide him with a modern bionic arm.

Maryam Nawaz also ordered strict legal action over attempts to deliberately conceal the incident, misrepresent facts, and amputate the child’s arm at a local hospital. She expressed sympathy with young Wajid and his parents and directed authorities to ensure the child’s complete medical care.

According to officials, efforts were made to hide the incident that occurred at a Dhola breeding farm. The farmhouse owner failed to inform the police or the Wildlife Department about the tragic event. Police and the Wildlife Department have arrested the accused and registered an FIR.

It was further revealed that a private hospital falsely stated the cause of the child’s arm injury, while the farmhouse owner also forced the child’s parents to narrate a fabricated story.

Under the Punjab Wildlife Act, licenses had been issued for keeping pet “wild cats” under specific terms and conditions. However, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has now directed the removal of the provision allowing the keeping of wild cats from the law.