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Wednesday, 22 July, 2026 | 7 Safar, 1448
Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 117 | 8 Pages | Karachi Edition
PM, CDF MUNIR REAFFIRM PAKISTAN’S MEDIATION ROLE AS IRANIAN MINISTER HOLDS KEY TALKS g
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SHEHBAZ REITERATES PAKISTAN’S READINESS TO MEDIATE US-IRAN CONFLICT AMID ESCALATING REGIONAL TENSIONS
TEHRAN PRAISES PAKISTAN’S DIPLOMACY AND ROLE IN BROKERING THE ISLAMABAD MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
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FIELD MARSHAL ASIM MUNIR, IRANIAN INTERIOR MINISTER DISCUSS BORDER SECURITY, REGIONAL STABILITY AND BILATERAL COOPERATION
MOMENI SAYS EXPANDING CROSS BORDER TRANSPORT KEY TO ACHIEVING $10B BILATERAL TRADE TARGET
Trump vows massive strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain as US-Iran war widens across region WASHINGTON/TEHRAN
STAFF REPORT/AGENCIES
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ISLAMABAD SALEEM JADOON
AKISTAN and Iran on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation, enhancing regional security and sustaining diplomatic engagement as Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni held separate high-level meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. The talks focused on Pakistan’s mediation efforts to defuse tensions be-
tween the United States and Iran, regional peace, border management and expanding bilateral trade towards a $10 billion target. During his meeting with CDF and COAS Asim Munir at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, matters relating to mutual interest, regional and bilateral security, and effective border management came under discussion, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The visiting Iranian dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s consistent efforts and its diplomatic role in easing regional tensions, encouraging de-escalation and
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened a massive new strike on Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified underground site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme near the damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, as the US-Iran conflict expanded across the Middle East with fresh military exchanges, renewed threats to vital shipping routes, growing regional involvement and intensified international calls for an immediate return to diplomacy despite ongoing mediation efforts by Pakistan and Qatar. Trump said the United States would hit the Pickaxe Mountain area "very heavily, pretty soon." The site, linked to Iran's nuclear programme, hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes. The US president had threatened to serving as an anchor for peace. The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the resolve to maintain close coordination and cooperative
attack the facility last week, saying Washington was "going to take out Pickaxe Mountain." He also claimed on Tuesday that Tehran wanted to "desperately meet." "Until they're ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest," Trump said. US ready to respond if Houthis impose blockade, says Trump Trump was also asked about threats by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement to impose a naval blockade in the Red Sea. "If the group follows through on its threats of a naval blockade, we'll just have to take care of business," he said during Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's visit to the White House. The US president pledged support for Lebanon, saying the country had been "very badly treated."
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mechanisms to safeguard regional security and promote mutual prosperity, the ISPR added.
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AJK polls to be held in three phases from July 27 amid heightened security, unrest ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission on Tuesday announced that elections to the AJK Legislative Assembly will be held in three phases beginning July 27, unveiling a revised polling schedule after consultations with political parties while reaffirming its commitment to conducting free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections despite weeks of unrest, heightened security and protests across the region. Addressing a press conference, AJK Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said polling in Mirpur Division would be held as originally scheduled on July 27, while voting in Muzaffarabad Division would take place on August 2. Polling for 12 seats reserved for refugees from Indianadministered Kashmir residing in Pakistan will also be held on August 2, while elections in Poonch Division are scheduled for August 10. “The chief election commissioner said that every effort would be made to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair, transparent, and peaceful manner,” the Azad Kashmir Information Ministry said. The announcement comes amid weeks of unrest in the Pakistan-administered region, where the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil rights movement banned by the authorities last month under anti-terrorism laws, has led protests that triggered clashes with law enforcement personnel and resulted in around 30 deaths. The protests, sparked in part by a dispute over refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly, have disrupted election campaigning, forced business closures and raised concerns over whether polling could proceed according to schedule. Mughal said the revised election schedule had been finalised after consultations with all political parties in the region. “The chief election commissioner also announced that international observers and journalists will be granted full access to cover the elections,” the ministry said. Former AJK president and prime minister Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan wrote to the chief election commissioner on Monday, urging the Election Commission to postpone the polls in view of the prevailing law and order situation. The AJK Legislative Assembly elections will be held in 45 constituencies, including 33 territorial seats and 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees residing in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.