LAHORE – Pet lovers are concerned as one of the city’s oldest and most popular pet and bird markets near Data Darbar was demolished overnight in an anti-encroachment drive, leaving behind scenes of devastation and outrage.
Traders woke up to find their shops turned to rubble and hundreds of cages crushed in what they call a “heartless operation.” Viral videos from the scene show shopkeepers screaming and pleading for time as bulldozers rolled in. Many claimed that dozens of birds, cats, and rabbits were trapped inside as the structures came crashing down, sparking nationwide anger.
“They didn’t even let us take our animals out. The birds were alive when the bulldozers started! They buried them under concrete!” shouted one distraught shopkeeper in a video that has been widely shared on social media.
Lahore Development Authority (LDA), along with TEPA, Auqaf Department, and police, launched demolition early on November 5, as part of the Data Darbar and Bhatti Chowk remodeling and expansion project.
According to local media, nearly 165 shops were flattened in the operation, which officials say was conducted on 16 kanals of state-owned land being cleared of “illegal encroachments.” However, traders and eyewitnesses say they were given no prior warning and no time to remove animals or property.
“This market was demolished overnight without a single notice or chance to save our animals,” said Adil Munir, a local trader leader and member of the Circular Road Board. LDA denied all claims of animal deaths during the operation. Speaking to BBC Urdu, an LDA spokesperson insisted the reports were baseless and exaggerated.
The authority also claimed that multiple eviction notices had been issued to traders beforehand, and even shared videos showing officials helping to move animals into trucks before the demolition started.
Despite official denials, shopkeepers say otherwise. Many allege that pets worth millions of rupees from exotic parrots to rabbits and cats were buried alive under the wreckage. They claim that rescued animals were later found injured, starving, and in shock.
The demolition has sparked mass outrage among animal rights groups and welfare organizations, who have condemned the Lahore authorities’ handling of the operation.
TADS Welfare Society, an animal rescue and protection group, blasted the incident in a post on X. The organization has demanded legal action against LDA officials and announced its intent to pursue the case in court.
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