In a disturbing incident on the defense road in the area of Lahore Kahna, the unidentified motorcyclists opened fire against street dogs inside a private housing society, killing several animals during the night.
Images of CCTV and photographs of the incident have emerged, clearly showing armed people shooting dogs before fleeing the scene.
This act of violence occurred despite a clear prohibition imposed by the Superior Court of Lahore on the murder of street dogs.
The court has ordered the Punjab government to enforce the TNVR policy (trap, castration, vaccination, release), whose objective is to control the population of street dogs through human methods instead of lethal measures.
The residents of the area reported that the shooters were late at night, attacked the dogs and fled immediately after the shots.
The locals claim that this is not an isolated case; Similar incidents have been informed in other parts of the city where street dogs have been killed in the same way.
While citizens recognize that the attacks of stray dogs, particularly in children, postpone a real danger and are a growing concern in urban areas, also criticize government authorities, especially municipal corporations and livestock department, for not implementing effective and human solutions.
There is currently no official estimate of the government of the population of stray dogs in Lahore. However, civil society groups and environmental organizations estimate that the city houses between 30,000 and 35,000 street dogs. Most of these animals remain not vaccinated and do not dress, which increases public health risk.
Experts warn that, unless TNVR policy is properly implemented, the problem of the street dog will continue to get worse.
They warn that, in the absence of official intervention, citizens can resort to hard and illegal actions on their own, leading to more legal and social complications.
