Rats taking over Pakistan’s parliament so big ‘even cats are scared’

Authorities aim to solve problem through hunting cats and netted barriers

Pakistan's parliament is facing a new crisis: giant rats that have overrun the South Asian country's corridors of power.

Authorities have allocated a budget of Rs1.2m (£3,300) to employ hunting cats to catch the rodents wreaking havoc in the parliament house in Islamabad.

The rats have mostly infested the first floor of the building, which houses the office of the opposition leader in the senate and the food hall and is used to host political party meetings.

“The rats on this floor are so huge that even cats might be afraid of them,” national assembly spokesman Zafar Sultan told the BBC.

The infestation came to light after records of a meeting from 2008 were found gnawed by the rats. Even computer wires were not spared.

The rats keep to themselves during office hours but become active at night, causing significant damage.

"When there are usually no people here in the evening, the rats run around in there like it’s a marathon," a national assembly official told the broadcaster.

While old guards have become accustomed to the menace, the rodents scare newer appointees.

The Capital Development Authority plans to counter the rat menace by enlisting hunter cats and installing netted barriers.

Authorities have issued advertisements in several Pakistani newspapers to find pest control companies to tackle the infestation.

Two cafeterias in Pakistan's parliament were sealed in 2022 after lawmakers found cockroaches in the food, according to Samaa TV.

In 2019, the lawmakers had protested the quality of food served in the cafeterias along with regulation breaches vis-a-vis cleanliness.