LOWER DIR: Suspected remains of a six-year-old girl, who went missing some six months ago from Nagri Payeen village of Talash, were recovered from a mountainous area in Talash on Monday, the police and residents said.

Police said the child, identified as Masroora, had gone missing on Oct 12.

The Talash police had also registered an FIR regarding her disappearance, but despite repeated efforts by police, local elders, volunteers and social workers, no trace of the girl had been found.

According to police, some residents went to a hilly area near Teso Kandao in Nagri Bala to collect firewood when they spotted human body parts and clothes lying on the ground.

They immediately informed the police. Soon after receiving the information, SHO Nazir Badshah, along with a contingent, reached the site and collected evidence before launching an investigation from multiple angles.

Police said human remains and a shirt were recovered from the site, and initial suspicion suggested they could belong to the missing girl. The remains have been sent for forensic examination and identification to Lahore, and final confirmation would only be possible after the forensic report.

Family members of the child, who also reached the site, identified the recovered remains as those of Masroora, though police said the case was being investigated from all possible angles.

MALARIA PREVENTION: Speakers at an awareness event held at a private nursing college in Timergara on Monday warned that malaria continued to pose a major public health threat, with over 15,000 cases reported in Lower Dir in 2025 alone.

The event, organised in connection with World Malaria Day, was attended by Dr Niaz Ahmad Afridi, the district health officer, as the chief guest.

On the occasion, the district coordinator of the Malaria Control Programme, Ibrar Pasha, said around 282 million malaria cases were reported each year globally, causing about 610,000 deaths.

He said reported malaria cases in Lower Dir had crossed 15,000 in 2025, showing an increase over the past two years.

He said over 800,000 mosquito nets were distributed across the district last year.

Dr Afridi warned that the risk of dengue also increased with the onset of summer and stressed the need for timely preventive measures. He urged schools, mosques, media outlets and other institutions to raise public awareness and help eliminate stagnant water to curb mosquito breeding.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2026