CHITRAL: The fisheries department released more than 50,000 trout fish seeds into the Lotkoh River of Garam Chashma Valley in four different locations on Friday after hatching them in its local hatchery.

The local elders and youth, who extended help to the officials in stocking the fish seed, expressed their pleasure over the intervention, which they said would help multiply the population density of trout.

Assistant director fisheries, Lower Chitral, Shakil Ahmed told the elders that the transparent and crystal water of the valley’s river was highly congenial to trout culture, and there was tremendous potential to promote the trout culture here.

He said that the trout culture could provide employment opportunities to hundreds of youth if promoted properly with the help of local people in the conservation efforts.

He said the waters of the valleys of Golen, Bumburate, Rumbur and Sheshi Koh in Lower Chitral were also ideal for the trout culture, where fish seeds would be stocked for enhancing the population density.

Mr Ahmed said that last week, 30,000 trout fish seeds were stocked in three different places of the Golen Valley’s stream.

MURDER SUSPECT ARRESTED: The mystery surrounding the death of a 12-year-old boy in Raman village of Laspur Valley, Upper Chitral, was resolved the other day when the police arrested his elder stepbrother after finding that it was a murder and not a case of suicide.

Upper Chitral district police officer Atiq Shah told Dawn that the minor boy, Shiraz Ahmed, went missing from his home on Feb 25, whose body was found the next day hanging with a tree.

He said autopsy of the body revealed that the deceased had been murdered before being hanged.

The accused, Eidur Rehman, was arrested when the mother of the deceased nominated him for the murder.

The DPO said a case had been filed against the accused under Section 302 of Pakistan Penal Code and Section 53 of Child Protection Act, 2010, in Laspur police station.

Mr Shah said that mother of the deceased alleged that her stepson, Eidur Rehman, murdered her only real son for grabbing the landed property.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2025