LAHORE: A Pakistani YouTube star who was gifted a lion cub on his wedding day has avoided jail after promising a judge to upload animal rights videos for a year.

Rajab Butt has one of the largest online followings in the South Asian country and his week-long nuptials in late December were plastered over celebrity gossip websites.

When a sleepy lion cub, resembling young Simba from the 2019 “Lion King” film, was presented to him in a gold-chained cage in front of thousands of guests who partied late into the night in the eastern megacity of Lahore, pictures spread rapidly online.

Butt captioned a video of the event “it’s raining gifts,” racking up nearly 10 million views.

The morning after, police raided his house, confiscated the cub and kept the newly-wed in custody overnight.

“We found out about the lion cub through social media,” said Faisal Mushtaq, an inspector from the Punjab provincial wildlife department.

Police officers went to Butt’s house and found the lion cub roaming around the garage, he said.

“It was in a poor condition, as it was very cold,” said Mushtaq.

Last week, Butt pleaded guilty to owning an undocumented wild animal but the judge waived a possible fine and prison sentence of up to two years for a more tailored punishment.

Every month for one year, he must post a five-minute video dedicated to animal rights, said the order by judge Hamid Ul Rahman Nasir.

The social media influencer agreed to the conditions, after admitting in a court statement that he “set a poor example” by accepting the gift and going on to “glorify it.”

Butt is one of the country’s highest-paid YouTube stars, according to the platform, and usually posts videos about his family’s daily life, from arguments to new car purchases.

Tanvir Janjua, a veteran wildlife official in Punjab, said the cub was likely bought for between 700,000 and 800,000 Pakistani rupees ($2,500-$2,900).

“It is so wrong, morally and legally, to take away such a small cub from its mother,” which was likely still feeding it, he told AFP.

NEW REGULATIONS

A week after the YouTuber was arrested, an adult lion escaped from his cage, running through the narrow streets of a Lahore neighborhood as residents clambered to their rooftops.

The full-grown adult male was eventually shot dead by a security guard, prompting heated outrage on social media about the dangers of keeping a big cat in a residential area.

Big cats are imported and bred across Pakistan, seen as symbols of wealth and power to the elite that own them.

Last year, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which rules the government, banned supporters from bringing lions — the symbol of the party — to political rallies.

However, stringent new regulations banning private ownership of big cats in residential areas are currently making their way through Punjab’s provincial government.

Breeders would have to buy a license and have at least 10 acres (four hectares) of land on a site approved by wildlife officials.

‘NEVER BE YOUR PET’

The gifted lion cub, which hasn’t been named, is now enjoying the winter sun in an open pen at Lahore’s sprawling Safari Zoo on the edge of the city, under the watchful eye of a handler.

Janjua, also the zoo’s deputy director, has conducted hundreds of raids against owners, breeders and poachers over the past 33 years to confiscate wild animals, including lions which often had their teeth and claws removed.

“Look at these YouTubers who use these animals to get clicks. What kind of a message are they spreading by being cruel to these animals?” he said, scornful of those who parade them in their cars and at political rallies.

“They can never be your pet. For two or three months it won’t say anything but after that, it will turn aggressive.”

As he nears retirement, Janjua says attitudes toward animals have worsened throughout his career. Laws, however, have improved, he says.

“Now wildlife officials have dedicated uniforms, weapons and we will get our own courts,” he told AFP.

“The courts that already exist are now strict about animal cruelty.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday met a senior European Union official to thank the inter-governmental body for its support for Pakistan’s GSP Plus status, hours after it passed a controversial cybercrime law that rights bodies and journalists allege is aimed at suppressing freedom of expression online. 
The GSP Plus status gives developing countries such as Pakistan a special incentive to pursue sustainable development and good governance. Countries have to implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labor rights, the environment and good governance in return for the EU to cut its import duties to zero on more than two-thirds of the tariff lines of their exports. In October 2023, the EU rolled over the current GSP Plus status for developing countries, including Pakistan, till 2027.
Pakistan’s digital rights experts, however, have raised concern that the government’s action of adopting the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Amendment Bill, 2025, which opposition and journalists say is aimed at taking action against dissent on social media platforms, can put Pakistan’s GSP Plus status in danger. 
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, met EU Special Representative for Human Rights Ambassador Olaf Skoog at the foreign ministry’s office on Wednesday. 
“The DPM/FM highlighted Pakistan-EU’s growing cooperation in the political and economic spheres and appreciated EU’s continued support for Pakistan’s GSP plus status,” the ministry said. 
Dar underscored the importance of Pakistan-EU dialogue on human rights, emphasizing that Islamabad was a firm believer in the protection of fundamental rights. He said the Pakistani government continued to enact and strengthen human rights legislation.
The ministry said Skoog “positively” assessed the potential of Pakistan-EU relations and appreciated the continued growth of collaborative partnership across all sectors.
“The EU SR is on a four-day visit to Pakistan,” the ministry said. “The visit is part of Pakistan-EU joint efforts to enhance dialogue on Human Rights.”
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday signed the bill into law after it was approved by both houses of Pakistan’s parliament following noisy protests by journalists and lawmakers. 
The new amendment bill now proposes the establishment of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority to perform a range of functions related to social media, including awareness, training, regulation, enlistment and blocking. 
SMPRA would be able to order the immediate blocking of unlawful content targeting judges, the armed forces, parliament or provincial assemblies or material which promotes and encourages terrorism and other forms of violence against the state or its institutions. 
The law also makes spreading disinformation a criminal offense punishable by three years in prison and a fine of two million rupees ($7,150).
A copy of the bill seen by Arab News has set imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of Rs2 million or both for “whoever intentionally disseminates, publicly exhibits, or transmits any information through any information system, that he knows or has reason to believe to be false or fake and likely to cause or create a sense of fear, panic or disorder or unrest in general public or society.”
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar told reporters last week that the bill will protect journalists and not harm them.
“This is the first time the government has defined what social media is,” Tarar said. “There is already a system in place for print and electronic media and complaints can be registered against them.”
He said “working journalists” should not feel threatened by the bill, which had to be passed because the Federal Investigation Agency, previously responsible for handling cybercrime, “does not have the capacity to handle child pornography or AI deep fake cases.”