ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has barred authorities in Pakistan’s capital from carrying out arbitrary killing of stray dogs and ordered the implementation of a humane, science-based population control policy focused on sterilization, vaccination and public health safeguards.
In a 25-page judgment released on Friday, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro directed civic authorities and public agencies to manage stray dog populations strictly within the framework of Islamabad’s existing stray dog control policy, amid recurring concerns over dog bites, rabies and culling campaigns in urban areas.
“No action shall be taken in an arbitrary, ad hoc, or inhumane manner, nor shall any campaign of poisoning, shooting, or indiscriminate killing of stray dogs be carried out,” the judgment said.
The court said euthanasia could only be carried out where “a duly qualified veterinarian certifies, in writing, that an animal is rabid, incurably diseased, dangerously aggressive, or otherwise required to be euthanized in accordance with humane veterinary standards.”
The ruling came in response to petitions alleging unlawful handling and killing of stray dogs in Islamabad in violation of the capital’s Stray Dog Population Control Policy.
The court directed authorities including the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, Capital Development Authority and Islamabad Wildlife Management Board to adopt coordinated sterilization and anti-rabies vaccination programs, maintain verifiable records of captured and treated animals, establish complaint mechanisms and launch public awareness campaigns.
The judgment also emphasized a “One Health approach,” linking animal welfare, environmental protection and public health, while calling for improved waste management and availability of anti-rabies vaccines in public health facilities.
Authorities were ordered to submit a compliance report within 60 days detailing steps taken to implement the policy and formulate standard operating procedures for humane stray dog management.
