While Eid ul Azha is a time of celebration, devotion, and family gatherings, this year’s festivities were marred by tragedy and a wave of avoidable accidents across Pakistan. The joy of sacrifice turned grim as one young life was lost and over 140 people were injured during animal-handling incidents reported nationwide.
In a particularly heart-wrenching case, Swabi district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed a fatal mishap. A young man from the Topi area died instantly after being kicked in the chest by a cow during the sacrificial process. The incident, which occurred while locals tried to restrain the animal with ropes, cast a pall of sorrow over the village of Maini Loya Lar. The body was transported for legal proceedings before being returned to grieving family members.
Elsewhere, Punjab bore the brunt of similar accidents. Rescue 1122 confirmed that at least 144 individuals sustained injuries, with 33 in critical condition and requiring hospitalisation. The majority of mishaps occurred in densely populated urban centers such as Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad, often caused by animals breaking loose in the chaos of slaughter.
Authorities, in their post-Eid statements, urged citizens to adopt safer, more informed practices during sacrificial rites. “We saw several cases where handlers were untrained, or animals weren’t properly restrained,” noted a Rescue 1122 spokesperson.
The pattern is a stark reminder that while the religious spirit of Eid must be honored, it must also be met with care, precaution, and planning. Training for handlers, proper restraint equipment, and public awareness campaigns could drastically reduce the risk of these incidents repeating in future Eid celebrations.
As the nation reflects on these unfortunate events, the hope is that future Eids bring only joy—free from the shadow of preventable loss and injury.
