The Islamabad High Court on Monday heard the case of the alleged killing of stray dogs in the federal capital as the Capital Development Authority and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad submitted their framework reports to the court.
The case stems from an incident on October 9 where eyewitnesses reported seeing a Capital Development Authority (CDA) vehicle transporting around 200 dead dogs near the authority’s office. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had put the CDA and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) on notice and warned that an FIR would be lodged if officials were found involved.
Read: IHC orders FIRs to euthanize dogs at the forefront
The hearing was attended by petitioner’s counsel Altamash Saeed, CDA counsel Shahryar Tariq and MCI counsel Khalid Mahmood.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who presided over the hearing, observed that the matter must be dealt with comprehensively, taking into account both animal welfare and public safety considerations. He stressed the need “to conclude the case after a detailed hearing.”
During the trial, the court revisited the October 9 viral video showing dozens of dead dogs in a CDA sanitation vehicle. Justice Soomro observed, “An FIR will be registered against the driver. As the case proceeds, he will reveal on whose orders this happened.”
CDA adviser Shahryar Tariq confirmed that the truck belonged to the sanitation department and the deceased dogs were collected from several sectors. He maintained that sanitation workers only removed carcasses, adding: “Some dogs were reportedly killed by citizens or run over by vehicles.”
Tariq noticed that too 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.
Questioning the killings, Justice Soomro said, “If each dog costs Rs. 19,000, what is the need to kill them? Nobody can kill so many dogs at once. We will look into this thoroughly.” He reiterated that killing animals is punishable under Pakistan’s penal code and stressed that the mass deaths must be explained.
Read more: IHC orders CDA to vaccinate, not kill stray dogs in Islamabad
The judge added: “This is the federal capital – if even here animal rights petitions are filed, that is quite telling.”
An important development was the presence of Pakistan Republic Party leader Reham Khan, who attended the hearing. “Our goal is not to prosecute anyone,” she said. “We only want the humane management of stray dogs to be enforced. We receive no funding and are not affiliated with any NGO.”
Even in one of the earlier hearings, Justice Soomro directed the authorities to vaccinate and care for stray dogs instead of euthanizing them, citing the 2020 Stray Dog Management Policy, which promotes humane population control through trap, neuter, vaccination and release (TNVR) methods.
The court directed the petitioner’s counsel to submit written submissions on the CDA and MCI framework reports and adjourned the matter after which the next hearing was announced in a written order.
