Pakistan, Sept. 17 -- Sindh's rabies crisis has reached the point where doctors are openly asking the government to consider humane culling of stray dogs. The Pakistan Medical Association's Karachi chapter says 285,000 dog-bite cases were reported across the province last year and another 83,000 in the first three months of 2026. By late August, the recorded rabies death toll had climbed to 25.

The frustration behind the PMA's demand is understandable. Children cannot be expected to negotiate packs of aggressive dogs on their way to school, nor should citizens be told that fear of being bitten is the price of humane animal management. The government's first responsibility is public safety.

Yet mass killing offers the appearance of contr...