Lahore High Court (LHC) has handed down a detailed judgment that allows the abolition of stray dogs, instructing that incurable dogs were killed in a human and comfortable way.
Justice Javed Hassan announced the six-page decision that specified that annihilation should follow the guidelines created by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).
This decision follows a petition filed by Citizen Anila Umair and other petitions who tried to stop the ongoing surgery against stray dogs in Rawalpindi.
The petries had previously requested that the killing of stray dogs be stopped, but their concerns were not treated.
In its decision, the Court noted that the relevant authorities informed the court that the operation had been initiated due to complaints from citizens about stray dogs. The veterinary officer from Rawalpindi explained that several complaints had been received about stray dogs bite humans, leading to the start of the operation. In addition, the officer stated that stray dogs caused health, religious and other serious problems as well as creating significant distress to the public.
The petitioners’ lawyer suggested that alternative methods, such as delivering food to the dogs, could be implemented to tackle the question of dog bites and argued that dogs attacked people because of hunger.
However, the court’s judgment emphasized that the government and other relevant parties must comply with policies regarding animal rights, public welfare and security. It also instructed that the downturn is carried out in accordance with PMDC’s guidelines and that euthanasia is performed humanly to avoid unnecessary suffering for the animals.
