Pakistan minister says Afghan envoy's daughter wasn't kidnapped; urges her to join probe
Islamabad, Jul 20: Pakistan's Minister of Interior Sheikh Rashid on Tuesday reiterated the police's claim that the daughter of Afghanistan's ambassador was not kidnapped even as he urged her to come forward and join the probe, in a case that has further soured relations between the two neighbours.
His statement came a day after the police in Islamabad said that they have found no evidence that Silsila Alikhil, the 26-year-old daughter of Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil, was abducted from the capital city, an incident that has triggered a major diplomatic row between the two neighbouring nations.
The minister told the media that she used four different taxis to commute to different locations in Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi and police have all details of her travels.
Nobody sat in her car. There is no case of kidnapping. We have given FIR as per laws. And hope that she will join the probe and come forward to recognise the four tax drivers whose vehicles she used on that day, Rashid said.
He said that the Pakistan government was fighting her case but it would have been better if the Afghan ambassador and his daughter had not gone back.
The minister said that the complete footage and other relevant details were given to the Foreign Office which will decide whether to share it with the diplomatic community in Islamabad.
Ambassador's daughter Alikhil was abducted, tortured and assaulted on Friday by unknown persons in Islamabad. She was abducted while riding a rented vehicle and was held for several hours before being released. She was found near F-9 Park area of the capital with torture marks on her body.
The kidnapping and assault incident has soured the ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan. On Sunday, the diplomatic crisis between the two nations deepened after Kabul announced that it will withdraw its ambassador and other senior staff from Islamabad.
Pakistan also called back its ambassador to Afghanistan for "consultations" on the alleged abduction and release of the Afghan envoy's daughter.
Meanwhile, Rashid said that Pakistan would accept the decision of the people of Afghanistan on the formation of the government in Kabul and that Pakistan was ready to deal with any type of fallout.
More than 90 per cent fencing on the Afghan border has been done and there is no fear as our Army and security agencies are on our side of the border to deal with any situation, he said.
On a separate question, he said that Pakistan has completed its probe into the recent deadly bomb blast targeting Chinese workers in the country's northwest and the government of China was fully satisfied with it.
Rashid said that Pakistan was facing hybrid warfare as proved by the timing of various recent incidents.
He said that the bombing incident in Lahore (in front of the house of Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Sayeed) took place before a key meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Paris-based anti-money laundering watchdog.
The Interior Minister said that the blast targeting Chinese workers occurred before a high-level meeting of Pakistan and Chinese officials and the alleged abduction of the daughter of the Afghan ambassador occurred ahead of a peace conference Pakistan was scheduled to host.
Rashid said that Pakistan would tackle all threats and continue to move forward despite security challenges.
Pakistan and Afghanistan often trade accusations, with Kabul claiming Islamabad is sending thousands of militants to fight in the war-torn country and providing safe haven for the Taliban.
Pakistan, in turn, claims that Afghanistan harbours the anti-Pakistani group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan - the Pakistani Taliban - and also the secessionist Balochistan Liberation Army.
Afghanistan has seen an uptick in violence after US President Joe Biden's announcement of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the war-torn country.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
