The Islamabad High Court on Monday heard the case regarding alleged culling of stray dogs in the federal capital, as the Capital Development Authority and the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation submitted their framework reports to the court.
The case arises from an incident that occurred on October 9, when eyewitnesses reported seeing a Capital Development Authority (CDA) vehicle carrying around 200 dead dogs near the authority’s office. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had notified the CDA and the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI), warning that an FIR would be lodged if officials were found involved.
Read: IHC orders FIRs to sacrifice stray dogs
The hearing was attended by petitioner’s lawyer Altamash Saeed, CDA lawyer Shahryar Tariq and MCI lawyer Khalid Mahmood.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who presided over the hearing, observed that the issue must be addressed holistically, taking into account both animal welfare and public safety concerns. He stressed the need to “conclude the matter after a detailed hearing.”
During the proceedings, the court reviewed the viral video from October 9 showing dozens of dead dogs in a CDA medical vehicle. Justice Soomro commented, “An FIR will be registered against the driver. As the case progresses, it will reveal on whose order this occurred.”
CDA lawyer Shahryar Tariq confirmed that the truck belonged to the Health Department and that the deceased dogs were collected from multiple sectors. He maintained that health personnel only removed corpses and added: “Some dogs would have been killed by citizens or run over by vehicles.”
Tariq also noted that 2,800 Cases of dog bites were reported at PIMS Hospital between January and September, prompting the court to consider the wider context rather than focusing solely on welfare.
Justice Soomro questioned the killings and said, “If each dog costs Rs 19,000, what is the need to kill them? No one can kill so many dogs at a time. We will examine this thoroughly.” He reiterated that killing animals is a punishment under the Pakistan Penal Code and emphasized that mass deaths need an explanation.
Read more: IHC orders CDA to vaccinate, not kill, stray dogs in Islamabad
The judge added: “This is the federal capital; if animal rights petitions are being filed even here, that is quite telling.”
An important event was the presence of the leader of the Republic of Pakistan Party, Reham Khan, who attended the hearing. “Our goal is that no one is prosecuted,” he said. “All we want is humane management of stray dogs. We receive no funding and are not affiliated with any NGO.”
Even in one of the earlier hearings, Justice Soomro ordered authorities to vaccinate and care for stray dogs instead of culling them, citing the Stray Dog Management Policy, 2020, which promotes humane population control through trap, neuter, vaccinate and release (TNVR) methods.
The court directed the petitioner’s counsel to submit written suggestions on the framework reports of CDA and MCI and adjourned the case, with the next hearing to be announced in a written order.
