Lahore [Pakistan], May 19 (ANI): Animal rights groups accused local authorities of breaching court directives and Punjab's approved TNVR policy by allegedly restarting the killing of stray dogs in Lahore and several other parts of the province, according to a report by The Express Tribune.

Representatives of Give Us Life Animal Welfare Society and the National Alliance of Animal Rights Activists and Advocates Pakistan made these allegations during a press conference held at the Lahore Press Club. They also claimed that activists speaking out against the issue were facing harassment. The organisations stated that the Lahore High Court had approved the TNVR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Release) policy in 2021 as a humane method to manage the stray dog population through sterilisation and vaccination instead of culling the animals, the TET report said.

Animal rights campaigner and organisation co-founder Aafia Khan said that the World Health Organisation also endorsed the TNVR model for countries such as Pakistan, where urban and rural populations coexist. However, she alleged that despite court orders, local authorities had continued dog-killing drives in Lahore over recent years. She claimed that the staff of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore captured stray dogs and allegedly kept them for a few days before transporting them to areas near Saggian for killing. According to her, these actions were in violation of court directives and also threatened environmental and animal welfare standards.

Advocate Altamash Saeed stated that the TNVR policy had been formulated under a Lahore High Court case with participation from the local government, livestock, and health departments. He alleged that the concerned institutions were failing to implement the policy and were instead continuing with the killing of stray dogs. He said committees had been established from the chief secretary level to the tehsil level to oversee implementation, but claimed that meetings of these committees had not taken place. He also emphasised the importance of stricter enforcement of animal welfare laws and greater public awareness about animal rights.

Saeed further said that animal rights, environmental conservation, and civic responsibility should be incorporated into educational curricula to encourage humane behaviour in society. Qaiser Sharif, president of the Jamaat-e-Islami Public Aid Committee Lahore, said killing stray dogs was not a long-term solution to the problem. He stated that government efforts for animal protection remained inadequate and called for large-scale implementation of the TNVR programme, along with rescue shelters and a helpline, according to the TBP report.

Sharif added that his organisation had been campaigning on the matter for the past 10 months and had prepared eight recommendations aimed at addressing stray dog attacks and population control through sterilisation. Participant Haider Shah claimed that he accompanied Aafia Khan to the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore office to seek details about captured dogs. He alleged that officials initially assured them the dogs would be vaccinated and released, but later changed their position, which led to an argument after which police were called, the TBP report stated. (ANI)