CDA, MCI response sought on stray dog killings

Court hints at initiating criminal case if killings confirmed

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a detailed response from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI) over a petition challenging the alleged killing of stray dogs in the federal capital.

Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, while hearing the case, remarked that if it was confirmed that officials had indeed been killing stray dogs, a criminal case would be registered against them.

The court was hearing a petition filed by a citizen, Nilofer, against the alleged culling and extermination of stray dogs in Islamabad.

During the proceedings, another citizen, Naveeda Asim, appeared before the court and requested to become a party to the case.

She informed the court that on October 9, she had witnessed a vehicle parked near the CDA office containing hundreds of dead dogs.

The court accepted her plea to become a party to the main case and ordered that her eyewitness statement be made part of the court record.

Petitioner's counsel, Advocate Altamash Saeed, informed the court that CDA and MCI officials were capturing stray dogs and shooting them, despite the existence of a policy introduced in 2020 to prohibit such actions.

He requested that the court seek clarification from the authorities and stop this practice. Justice Soomro directed the CDA and MCI to submit written responses regarding the incident reported on October 9 and reiterated that if the killing of dogs was confirmed, an FIR would be registered against those involved.