South Punjab Orders Crackdown on Stray Dogs

A tragic incident involving a young girl's death due to a stray dog attack in Bahawalnagar has prompted the South Punjab administration to take decisive action to safeguard the public from dangerous canines. In an emergency meeting, Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab Fawad Hashim Rabbani reviewed the escalating number of dog-bite cases across the region.

The unfortunate event occurred when the girl, on her way to a madrassa, was attacked by a pack of over a dozen stray dogs in Basti Yaseen, Akooka Hathar, near Mandi Madressa, two days ago. Rabbani expressed profound sorrow over the girl's demise and expressed frustration with the performance of the Bahawalnagar deputy commissioner.

Deputy commissioners from all South Punjab districts participated in the meeting through video link, sharing their strategies to eradicate stray dogs and vaccinate pet dogs. Rabbani instructed all deputy commissioners to pinpoint areas with a high concentration of stray dogs and take stringent measures to curb the issue. He urged the Rajanpur and Vehari administrations to enhance their efforts following an increase in dog-bite cases reported in those districts.

Rabbani emphasized that mere reports and figures would not suffice; deputy commissioners must personally visit the affected areas and demonstrate tangible progress on the ground. He also mandated officials to launch the campaign against stray dogs effectively and take rigorous action against false claims of their removal. Furthermore, Rabbani directed officials to initiate immediate legal proceedings against pet dog owners whose animals attack people, and affirmed that all administrative officers must routinely inspect municipal services to ensure effective steps are being taken to protect citizens from dog attacks.