In April 2022, a petition was filed in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Khurram Saleem Mirza seeking registration of a case against two locals under murder provisions for poisoning to death a pair of dogs and their six one-month-old pups in the Satellite Town area of Rawalpindi.

The court allowed the petition filed under section 22-A of the Criminal Procedure Code for hearing and issued notices to the Rawalpindi City Police Officer and the New Town Police Station House Officer, seeking a reply by April 8.

Petitioner Junaid Gul has taken the plea that Afzal Ali and Mazhar Ali, two local citizens of Satellite Town, D-Block, killed two male and female dogs and their less-than-one-month-old six pups by poisoning. “This is a cruel act. Six innocent pups kept writhing on the road for a long time due to the poisoning,” the petitioner.

“According to the law, it is an illegal act and a regular crime for any private citizen to buy highly toxic poison from the market and then put it in various open places. It has also endangered the lives of other pets. A cat has also died from the poison,” the petitioner said.

The petitioner said that according to the law, there is a set procedure for killing stray dogs which only the government can implement. “It is also a crime for private individuals to buy the deadliest poison from the market.