One of the poachers pictured with the carcass of the snow leopard near Hoper glacier. — Dawn
One of the poachers pictured with the carcass of the snow leopard near Hoper glacier. — Dawn

GILGIT: The authorities arrested five persons for killing a snow leopard in Hoper valley of Nagar district in Gilgit-Baltistan. Three of them were sentenced by the wildlife magistrate.

Sources said that a female snow leopard was killed in Hoper while her two cubs disappeared. The wildlife team recovered the skin of the killed leopard. Search operation was underway to trace the missing cubs.

Sources said that wildlife department with help of law enforcement agencies arrested a man on Tuesday after getting information about the killing of the snow leopard. The arrested man identified as Mohammad Saleem, 25, a resident of Hoper valley confessed to his crime.

He told police that he and his friends killed a female snow leopard near Hoper glacier some 12 days ago. He said that the leopard was living with her two cubs in the mountain near the glacier.

The arrested man said that they freed the cubs after killing the leopard.

Later police also arrested four more persons identified as Mohammad and Jaffar Ali, residents of Hoper, and Mohammad Amin and Jan Alam, residents of Hunza for helping in the killing of the leopard.

The wildlife magistrate, Jinabran Haider, sentenced Mohammad Saleem and Mohammad to one year imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs5,000,000 on each of them. A co-accused was sentenced to one month imprisonment.

According sources, Mohammad Saleem uploaded its pictures on social media after killing the snow leopard.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Stirring trouble
Updated 08 Dec, 2024

Stirring trouble

The demands put forth this time are simple and doable at little political cost.
Unfairness in cricket
08 Dec, 2024

Unfairness in cricket

HOPES that cricketing ties between Pakistan and India would be strengthened by the latter team’s visit across the...
Syria rebel advance
08 Dec, 2024

Syria rebel advance

CITY after city in Syria is falling into rebel hands as Bashar al-Assad’s government looks increasingly vulnerable...
Threat perception
Updated 07 Dec, 2024

Threat perception

Despite clear proof of the threat posed by malign armed actors, the military and civilian leadership prefers to focus on political opponents.
Humanity at risk
07 Dec, 2024

Humanity at risk

HUMAN trafficking continues to remain an area where the state has utterly failed its citizens. While global...
Banks and larger goals
07 Dec, 2024

Banks and larger goals

THAT banks in Pakistan “prioritise profit over purpose” and promote financial products with limited knowledge of...