Pakistan Defence Minister says ‘era of old relations with Kabul is over,’ urges all afghans to leave
Islamabad: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday launched a strong rebuke against Afghanistan, declaring that all Afghans living in Pakistan must return home and asserting that the “era of old relations” between the two nations has ended.
“All Afghans residing on Pakistani soil must return to their homeland; they now have their own government, their own caliphate in Kabul. Our land and resources belong to 250 million Pakistanis,” Asif said in a post on social media.
The statement came shortly after a 48-hour ceasefire expired at 6 p.m. local time. Although reports indicated that the truce had been extended and that delegations from both sides were expected to meet in Doha, Taliban officials accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes in multiple districts of Afghanistan’s Paktika province along the Durand Line. Following the airstrikes, a senior Taliban figure told AFP that the truce had been “broken.”
Asif said Pakistan had shown restraint for years despite repeated provocations but could no longer continue the same approach. “Pakistan can no longer afford to maintain relations with Kabul as it did in the past,” he wrote, adding that Islamabad had sent 836 protest notes and 13 demarches to the Afghan authorities over cross-border terror incidents.
“There will no longer be protest notes or appeals for peace; no delegations will go to Kabul,” he said. “Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will have to pay a heavy price.”
The minister accused the Taliban regime of acting as a “proxy of India” and conspiring with New Delhi and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to destabilise the country. “The rulers of Kabul, who are now sitting in India’s lap and conspiring against Pakistan, were once under our protection, hiding on our land,” he alleged.
Asif further claimed that Pakistan has faced 10,347 terrorist attacks resulting in 3,844 deaths, including both civilians and security personnel after Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The minister warned that any aggression from across the border would be met with a “strong and decisive response.” Earlier this week, he had said that Pakistan was ready to fulfil the Taliban’s “wish for war” if the group sought conflict.
Kabul has consistently denied Islamabad’s allegations, maintaining that Afghan soil is not being used to launch attacks against any neighbouring country.
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Delegation requests for Karnataka HC Bench in coastal districts, hands petition to Chief Justice
Udupi: A delegation of the High Court Bench Struggle Committee met and submitted a petition to the Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru at the Circuit House urging the opening of a High Court Bench in the coastal belt as well as a Mobile High Court Bench in Mangaluru.
MLC and convener of the Committee Ivan D’Souza, who spoke to the Chief Justice on the occasion, explained that the people of the coastal belt find it difficult to travel to Bengaluru to fight a petition in the High Court. The problem only aggravated during monsoon. D’Souza added that there was a delay in clearing the cases of Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu districts, which was causing further inconvenience to the people.
The MLC, who pointed out that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also shown his preference for establishing a High Court Bench in the coastal region, requested for an approval to establish a Mobile High Court Bench first.
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Responding to this request, Chief Justice Bakhru assured to take action on the request as soon as possible.
The delegation included Mangalore Bar Association President Raghavendra HV, Dakshina Kannada Principal Government Pleader MP Noronha, General Secretary Sridhar H, Udupi Bar Association President Reynold Praveen Kumar, General Secretary Chandrashekhar Shetty, Vice-president Devadas V Shettigar and Brahmavar Bar Association President Kadoor Praveen Shetty.
