kOCHI l Thursday l October 16, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION Dozens of troops and civilians killed in fresh Af-Pak clashes Dozens of troops and civilians were killed in a fresh round of border clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces on Wednesday Taliban claims it captured pak border posts Fighting halted as 48-hour truce reached The Pakistan Army claimed it repulsed multiple attacks by the Afghan Taliban, killing more than 40 attackers in separate clashes. A Taliban spokesperson, however, said the Afghan forces killed several Pakistani soldiers and captured their border posts and a tank. The spokesperson added that 15 Afghan civilians were killed and dozens injured ■ The two sides have agreed to a 48-hour truce after a week of fighting following the Kabul blasts blamed on Pakistan. The fighting was paused on Sunday before resuming on Wednesday ■ Islamabad has accused Kabul of sheltering terrorists responsible for attacks on Pakistan, a claim rejected by the Taliban 2,600 km is the approximate length of Pakistan-Afghanistan border CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI SC allows limited use of green crackers for Diwali NEERI-approved crackers can be burst on the eve and on Diwali day SUCHIT R A KALYAN M OHANTY @ New Delhi IN a major relaxation ahead of Diwali, the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the limited use of ‘green firecrackers’ in Delhi National Capital Region from October 18 to 20. The relaxation—a balanced decision to allow traditions while taking into account the environmental and health concerns—is subject to strict conditions. A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran said use of green crackers—which produce less air and noise pollution than traditional firecrackers—will be confined to specific hours. “The district administration and the police shall ensure that use of firecrackers shall be confined between 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM on the two days i.e., the one before and on the Diwali day it said. ,” The court also made it clear that the relaxation is only on a ‘test case basis’. “We have to take a balanced approach, taking into account the conflicting interests and permit in moderation, while not compromising No barium crackers No firecrackers shall be allowed into Delhi-NCR from outside the region. The use of firecrackers with barium and those not approved by NEERI as green crackers shall not be permitted. If found, it will be confiscated the environmental concerns arising,” said the bench. The order said the green crackers can be sold only through licensed traders at the designated locations in DelhiNCR, which will be identified by the authorities in consultation with police. The green crackers being sold must be manufactured by those registered with the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, while the traders must have obtained licence from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization. It said there can be no sale or purchase of firecrackers through e-commerce networks. Any supply of such products shall be detained and the product confiscated. The court said police authorities, in consultation with district administration, shall constitute patrolling teams to keep a vigil on the designated locations of sale, including officers as nominated by state pollution control boards. The bench also ordered the Central Pollution Control Board, in consultation with state pollution control boards and their respective regional offices coming under the NCR, to monitor the air quality index from October 14 till October 25. The report specifying the air quality of each day indicated must be filed before the court. “The Regional Offices of the State Pollution Control Boards shall also take samples of sand and water from sites having more density of use for analysis,” said the bench and listed the matter after three weeks. Sabarimala: Joint forum to seek Prez reference M S V i d ya n a n d a n @T’Puram Sabarimala Karma Samithi, a joint forum of Hindu organisations, will take up the Sabarimala gold theft controversy with Droupadi Murmu, when the President visits Kerala later this month. The samithi hopes for a Presidential Reference under Article 143 to the Supreme Court to explore the possibility of forming a separate administrative system for Sabarimala temple, on the model of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, which is governed by a committee chaired by the additional district and sessions judge in Thiruvananthapuram. It has representatives of the Union and state governments, thantri family and the erstwhile T r ava n c o re roya l f a m i ly a s members. “We have an appointment with the President when she visits Sabarimala on October 22,” said samithi general convenor S J R Kumar. Citing the missing gold row, he accused successive Travancore Devaswom Board members and staffers of mismanaging the hill shrine. “Since Sabarimala temple holds national importance, the President can refer it to the Supreme Court for formulating a better administrative system,” he told TNIE, adding that in 1993, the then President had made a reference in the Ayodhya temple case. Article 143 empowers the President to seek the SC’s advisory opinion on any question or law that is of public importance. After the Babri Masjid demolition, then President Shankar Dayal Sharma had in 1993 sought the SC’s opinion on whether any Hindu structure existed at the site before ● More on P4 the mosque was built.  Min’s remarks muddy the waters in communally sensitive hijab row M a n o j V i s w a n at h a n @Kochi Child misses classes General Education Minister V Sivankutty has stirred up a hornet’s nest with his remarks blaming St Rita’s Public School in Kochi for the hijab row, even as political as well as communal organisations jostled with one another to exploit the situation. All this while the child at the centre of the controversy has not been able to attend classes due to the media glare. Sivankutty’s remarks, made hours after the issue was amicably settled following the intervention of MP Hibi Eden on Tuesday evening, have vitiated the atmosphere. An issue between a parent and the school has now become political, threatening to blow up into a c o m m u n a l o n e. T h o u g h  SDPI, PDP want Sivankutty’s direction on allowing headscarf implemented in all schools press Intake Stray dog management in disarray in state | P5 Ex-Kenya PM dies on medical visit to Kerala | P5 Lethal injection: ‘Govt not evolving’ S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that “the government is not ready to evolve” after it was informed of the Centre’s opposition to using lethal injections as a mode of execution for death row convicts instead of the current method of hanging. “The problem is that the government is not ready to evolve... it’s a very old procedure, and things have changed,” remarked a two-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. It was hearing a PIL filed by advocate Rishi Malhotra seeking removal of hanging as the mode of execution from the statute, citing “prolonged pain and suffering.” “At least give the condemned prisoner an option. Lethal injection is quick, humane and decent, as opposed to hanging, which is cruel, barbaric and lingering... for 40 minutes, the body hangs on the rope,” Malhotra argued. 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express Tejashwi files papers; no Muslim in JD(U) 1st list In the NDA camp, the ruling Janata Dal (United) put out its first list of Leader of Opposition in the Bihar candidates for 57 assembly constituassembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on encies, dropping four sitting MLAs Wednesday filed his nomiand fielding 27 new faces. nation papers from RaghopSignificantly, there was not ur in Vaishali district, even one representative seeking re-election for the from the Muslim communithird consecutive term. ty in the first list, though His path was eased by Muslims have been part of Jan Suraaj Party founder Chief Minister Nitish KuPrashant Kishor, who went mar’s support base earlier. back on his earlier decision The list included four womto enter the poll fray from en and three bahubalis Raghopur. “A decision has Tejashwi Prasad Yadav ( t h o s e h av i n g m u s c l e been taken that I should not power). contest the polls in the larger interest Interestingly candidates for Alauli, , of the party he told the media. ,” Sonbarsa, Rajgir, Ekma and Morwa , R a m a s h a n k a r @ Patna the five seats that Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) sought as part of the NDA, figured in the JD(U)’s first list. Alauli assumes importance as Chirag’s native place. Meanwhile, the BJP released its second list of 12 candidates while parallelly doing some fire-fighting within the NDA as to placate a grumpy Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha. He was assured MLC and Rajya Sabha seats as he was sore over Chirag’s party getting the Mahua seat, which he reportedly wanted for his son or a relative. The crisis blew over after he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.  Principal denies allegation that school has expelled the student  Amid the row, the student has been unable to attend classes Sivankutty softened his stand on Wednesday the issue seems , to have spiralled out of control. The school, managed by the Augustinian Sisters of the Most Holy Annunciation, “should permit the student to continue education wearing the headscarf, which is part of her religious belief. No student should face such hardship in a state like Kerala which upholds secular values. No educational institution will be allowed to deny rights assured by the Constitution,” the minister had said on Tuesday The SDPI and . PDP demanded that his direction be implemented in schools across the state. The SDPI called for a government circular, while the PDP sought an order directing government, aided and private schools to “honour the fundamental right for religious practice and allow Muslim students to wear a hijab.” “Hibi and DCC president Mohamed Shiyas urged me to refrain from disrupting communal harmony. I assured them my child will follow the school’s dress code. But the minister has said my daughter has the right to wear a hijab in school,” P M Anas, the child’s father, told TNIE.  ● More on P4 EXPRESS READ Northeast monsoon to set in over Kerala today T’Puram: Northeast monsoon will set in over Kerala on Thursday, the IMD has announced. It has issued an orange alert for Kottayam and Idukki, and yellow alert for Kollam, Thrissur, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta on Thursday.