How Pakistan’s CDA Is Betraying Innocent Lives

Today, a nightmare unfolded on our streets: a vehicle filled with dead dogs. Among them were pregnant females and puppies the most vulnerable, who deserved compassion, care, not death. If you think that sounds unthinkable, you should know this is far from fiction it is a horrifying reality, and Pakistan’s Capital Development Authority (CDA) is at the heart of it.

Who Is the CDA — and What Is Their Mandate?

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is the autonomous body charged with municipal services and urban development in the Islamabad Capital Territory.

Among its many responsibilities lies the duty to manage public health and welfare which includes addressing stray dog populations humanely.

In theory, the CDA is supposed to operate under a “Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release” (TNVR) model — a globally accepted, ethical approach for managing stray animals.

But in practice? The reality is brutal neglect, cruelty, and often outright murder.

The Vehicle Full of Dead Dogs, What We Know

The news broke today that a vehicle in Islamabad, operated by or under the control of CDA/municipal machinery, was discovered loaded with dozens of dead dogs. Among them:

• Pregnant females, crushed before their time

• Newborn puppies, whose only crime was being born

• Healthy adult dogs, who perhaps tried to escape pain but had no chance

At this writing, authorities offer silence or denials. But activists, rescuers, and local media are already calling it one of the worst acts of institutional cruelty in recent memory.

For a long while the CDA’s Population Control Centre has been known as the “pit of death”

In June 2025, reports emerged accusing the facility of abuse, starvation, lack of veterinary care, and allowing animals to literally die within its walls. Some dogs “caught” by CDA, activists claimed, were never released, neglected until death.

This vehicle discovery is a grotesque escalation, one that cannot be ignored.

Why This Matters Beyond Animal Lives

You might think: this is about dogs. But cruelty to animals is a mirror to our own humanity, when institutions choose torture over mercy, what hope do we have for justice elsewhere?

1. Rule of law vs arbitrary cruelty
   If the CDA can gas, starve, or kill pregnant dogs and puppies in broad daylight, how can citizens trust them to protect human lives, enforce rights, or deliver services?

2. Public health at risk
   Stray dogs and rabies, bites, infection, these are legitimate public health concerns. But killing is not the solution. Neglect and cruelty invite disease, garbage accumulation, stress, and more. The lack of vaccination, veterinary oversight, or humane protocols worsens the risk.

3. Legal and policy hypocrisy
   Pakistan does have, in some regions, legislation or policies around animal protection (for example, the Islamabad Stray Dog Population Control Policy of 2020) But when the very authority entrusted with upholding policy becomes its violator, the entire concept of accountability collapses.

4. Symbolic violence, normalized cruelty
   A society that normalizes institutional violence against voiceless beings erodes empathy. It fosters a culture where injustice becomes mundane, and truth is silenced under bureaucratic cover.

What Must Be Done

This moment is a call to arms for activists, lawyers, citizens, and the international community. Here’s what must happen immediately:

1. Independent forensic investigation
   Forensic experts, animal welfare NGOs, and legal authorities must inspect the van, identify who ordered and loaded it, trace the chain of custody. Bodies must be examined: cause of death, signs of cruelty, poisoning, injuries.

2. Immediate suspension / removal of CDA’s dog control operations
   Until a credible oversight mechanism is established, CDA must be prevented from handling stray animals. Its “shelter” contract should be rescinded, and operations handed over to qualified animal welfare organizations.

3. Court orders & public accountability
   Filing public-interest litigation, invoking environmental and animal rights laws, demanding transparency: records, logs, veterinary reports, staff credentials. Those responsible from top officials to on-ground operatives must be held criminally liable.

4. Policy reform and oversight committee
   A mandated animal welfare oversight body comprising lawyers, veterinarians, civil society, with the power to audit, inspect, and veto cruel practices.

5. Radical public pressure & media spotlight
   This must not be buried. Street protests, social media campaigns, international pressure. The world must see enough horror to demand change.

6. Education & cultural shift
   Embed sense of compassion in schools, universities, civic discourse. Teach that animals have rights too. Penalize cruelty not just in statute, but morally.

A Final Word - Humanity’s Test

This vehicle full of dead dogs, pregnant mothers and helpless puppies is not just a tragedy for them. It is a wound upon us all. Every government that allows this to happen, without transparent consequence, violates the code of civilized society.

Let us refuse to remain silent. Let us demand justice for those who had no voice, for those who died before pleading. Let this moment be the turning point: where cruelty is no longer tolerated, where rights include all living beings, and where humanity is judged by how we treat the weakest among us.

If you’re reading this, this matters to you. Share. Protest. Write to authorities. Inquire. Demand that this van and those who sent it be exposed, condemned, and dismantled forever.

I will keep tracking evidence and updates and I call on all animal rights defenders in Pakistan (and globally) to unite. This cruelty cannot stand!