The admission of contempt proceedings in the Lahore High Court (LHC) marked another significant step toward enforcing Punjab’s Animal Birth Control Policy, a move aimed at improving the welfare of stray dogs while also reducing rabies cases and dog bites across the province.
The legal action sought to ensure that the policy is fully implemented after authorities failed to comply with an earlier High Court judgment. If implemented as intended, the policy would replace unlawful dog culling with scientific and humane population management, helping protect both animals and the public.
According to the petition, full implementation of the Court’s judgment and the Animal Birth Control Policy would significantly reduce dog bites, control the spread of rabies, improve public safety, strengthen governance, and ensure the humane treatment of animals in accordance with the law.
The litigation continued to highlight the principle that effective governance requires public health and animal welfare to be pursued together through lawful, scientific, and humane measures.
The matter was initially argued by Advocate Altamash Saeed, who continued to represent the case during the contempt proceedings in an effort to secure full implementation of the Punjab Animal Birth Control Policy and ensure compliance with the LHC judgment.
The case stems from Eiraj Hassan v. Government of Punjab, filed by Advocate Altamash Saeed in March 2025. The petition led to a landmark interim stay order that restrained the illegal culling of stray dogs throughout Punjab.
The matter was later decided on May 22, 2025, when the LHC directed the Government of Punjab to implement the Punjab Animal Birth Control Policy in both letter and spirit.
In its judgment, the Court reaffirmed that the state has a legal obligation to adopt scientific, humane, and evidence-based methods for managing the stray dog population instead of relying on unlawful and ineffective culling practices.
The Punjab Animal Birth Control Policy was designed with multiple objectives. According to its preamble, the policy aims to reduce dog bites and rabies, control the stray dog population through humane methods, and create a safer and kinder society for both people and animals.
To achieve these goals, the policy outlines an integrated framework based on Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (TNVR), mass vaccination campaigns, scientific data collection, coordinated governance, and broader public health measures.
Despite the Court’s clear directions, implementation reportedly remained largely absent over the following year. The statutory mechanisms established under the policy were not effectively put into operation, resulting in widespread non-compliance across Punjab.
According to the petition, the lack of implementation contributed to a rise in stray dog populations, increasing incidents of dog bites, continued transmission of rabies, and the tragic deaths of several children across the province. These were the very public health issues the policy was intended to address through systematic implementation rather than reactive measures.
As a result, contempt proceedings were initiated before the LHC to enforce compliance with the Court’s earlier judgment. The Court admitted the case in May 2026 and issued notices to the relevant parties.
The contempt petition did not seek any new legal rights. Instead, it requested enforcement of the Court’s existing orders and the immediate operationalization of the institutional framework established under the Punjab Animal Birth Control Policy.
Among the key reliefs sought were:
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