Pakistan parliament fights rats big enough to scare cats

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Rats are particularly prevalent on the first floor, officials tell the 大象传媒
  • Author, Shahzad Malik
  • Role, 大象传媒 Urdu

Pakistan's parliament has a problem - and it is nothing to do with the politicians.

No, the problem besieging the building - terrifying new starters and turning its offices into overnight 鈥渕arathon鈥 tracks - is rats. Big ones.

The scale of the problem came to light after an official committee asked to see the records of meetings from 2008. When the records were collected, it was found most had been badly gnawed by rats.

鈥淭he rats on this floor are so huge that even cats might be afraid of them,鈥 National Assembly spokesman Zafar Sultan admitted to the 大象传媒.

The infestation is now so widespread that an annual budget of 1.2m rupees ($4,300; 拢3,300) has been dedicated to making Pakistan鈥檚 halls of power rat-free.

It seems most of the rats are located on the first floor - an area which not only houses the office of the senate opposition leader, but also hosts most of the political party meetings and standing committees.

It is also, perhaps crucially, the location of a food hall.

But the rats generally keep themselves out of sight - until, that is, people have departed for the day.

鈥淲hen there are usually no people here in the evening, the rats run around in there like it鈥檚 a marathon,鈥 a National Assembly official said.

鈥淭he staff posted there are now used to this, but if someone comes here for the first time, they get scared.鈥

Advertisements have now gone out in several Pakistan newspapers, in order to find a pest control company which can help officials deal with the rats.

So far, just two have shown any interest.