Lahore:
In a landmark decision, Lahore High Court has declared the killing of stray dogs through shooting, poisoning or other inhuman methods such as illegal and constitutional across Punjab.
The judgment, which was handed down on May 22, 2025, in the case Eiraj Hassan & others against the Punjab government, the provincial government was formally implemented to implement Animal Birth Control (ABC) Politics 2021.
The policy establishes a comprehensive framework for humanly controlling the stray dog population through vaccination, sterilization, labeling, registration and rehabilitation.
Attorneys Eiraj Hassan and Altamush Saeed filed the petition and argued that the widespread abolition of stray dogs was a violation of animal welfare principles and basic human compassion.
The court emphasized in its decision that the killing of stray animals is in sharp contradiction of constitutional rights, ethical standards and international norms.
Remarkably, incidents were often reported on inhumane dogs killing from distinguished housing communities and certain municipal jurisdictions where even government staff were found an accomplice.
Despite the order, the concerns of the lack of institutional response mechanisms remain. There is currently no centralized auxiliary line to report stray dog problems, and the Police Animal Rescue Center remains largely inactive.
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) also faces serious challenges due to limited staff and resources.
Attorney Altamush Saeed paid tribute to the court’s decision as a great success for animal rights in Pakistan. He pointed out that the Animal Rescue Center was called to court but did not appear.
Nevertheless, departments including Livestock & Dairy Development and Local Government, the Court of Full Implementation of the ABC policy.
According to the new policy, stray dogs will be caught safely and non-violent and led to animal shelves. Here they will review vaccination and sterilization.
Once they were considered healthy, they will be labeled and released back at the same locality. Dogs that are deadly or severely wounded will be killed humanly during veterinary monitoring using sodium -humphal, a painless euthanasia.
The policy also imagines the establishment of shelter houses in any tehsil to be run in collaboration with private welfare organizations or under the supervision of the government. Monitoring Committee in the District, Tehsil and Provincial Levels will ensure strict implementation.
Experts note that although the court’s decision effectively prohibits cruel culling, the enforcement of sterilization and erection of shelters is slowly.
Dr. Haider Ali Khan, spokesman for livestock and dairy development department, explained that municipal staff are tasked with catching dogs and transporting them to veterinary centers for sterilization, after which the animals will be returned to their sites. Veterinary hospitals across Punjab have been notified and prepared to participate.
Although the policy offers a progressive and human framework, its success hangs on coordination between agencies, sustained societal involvement and sufficient budget support.
The government has committed to awarding dedicated funds to ABC implementation in the coming financial year.
When Punjab switches to a more human and scientific approach to managing stray dogs, civil society and local authorities must now play an important role in ensuring that the policy is more than just ink on paper.
