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Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday, after years of questions over the health and well-being of the 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Suu Kyi has been in detention since February 2021, when an elected civilian government led by her was ousted by Myanmar’s military in a dawn coup, plunging the impoverished Southeast Asian nation into turmoil.

Since then, Suu Kyi’s exact whereabouts and health condition have been difficult to determine, with no foreign leader or envoy having publicly met with her despite requests for contact from countries in the region that have excluded Myanmar’s leadership from their summits.

Suu Kyi met with Arnaud de Baecque, Resident Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross to Myanmar, in the capital Naypyitaw on Monday, government spokesperson Khine Khine Soe said in a message via Telegram.

The ICRC confirmed that a delegate had met with Suu Kyi, without naming the official, while her son described the visit as the first positive development concerning his mother in more than five years.

In one of four photographs provided by the Myanmar government spokesperson, Suu Kyi is seen dressed in traditional Burmese attire and standing unaided, shaking hands with de Baecque.

In another, they are seated in a sparsely furnished, wood-panelled room containing only two chairs and a desk.

Son urges continued pressure for Suu Kyi’s release

The ICRC said the visit had met with its standards and procedures for visiting people deprived of liberty. “This included the opportunity to speak with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in private,” it said in a statement, using a Burmese honorific.

Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, told Reuters that the ICRC was not able to have a physician examine his mother but he said she seemed to be in good health and in good spirits.

“It’s the first independent proof that I’ve had that she’s actually alive for a long time now,” he said in London. “So it’s extremely meaningful.”

Aris said that while he remained cautious, he hoped to be able to speak to his mother in time, and urged other governments to keep up the pressure on Myanmar to release her and other political prisoners.

Aris told Reuters in December that he had received only sporadic, second-hand details about his mother’s heart, bone and gum problems — and had not heard from her in years.

The United Nations, whose special envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, has called repeatedly for independent, verifiable reports on Suu Kyi’s circumstances, said it had taken note of the ICRC announcement and stressed the need for inclusive dialogue.

“We welcome this development and reiterate our call for the swift and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained, as a fundamental step towards conditions conducive to a credible and transparent political process,” UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told a daily briefing in New York.

Detained since coup

After a marathon run of secret trials following the 2021 coup, Suu Kyi, who was held under house arrest for a total of 15 years under a previous junta, was sentenced to 33 years’ detention, convicted of charges ranging from corruption and inciting election fraud to violating state secrecy rules.

Her allies maintain that the charges were politically motivated and aimed at sidelining the most popular politician in the country of 51 million people.

The sentence was later reduced, leaving her with 18 years still to serve, according to a member of her legal team.

Myanmar’s military-backed administrations have repeatedly claimed that Suu Kyi, who is the daughter of Myanmar’s independence hero General Aung San, is in “good health”, even as international pressure has grown to allow independent verification.

After a meeting between Myanmar’s foreign minister and counterparts from the regional Asean bloc last month, Thailand’s top diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow called for access to Suu Kyi.

Asean has barred Myanmar’s leadership from its top meetings for failure to implement a peace roadmap.

Birthday cake

In late April, following a military-engineered election that allowed former junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to become Myanmar’s president, Suu Kyi was moved to house arrest.

In another of the photos provided by the Myanmar government offering a rare glimpse inside what appears to be her residence, Suu Kyi is seen cutting a birthday cake, with a clothes rack and storage boxes visible in the background.

A fourth photograph is a close-up of the cake, inscribed with “Happy Birthday Aunty Suu 19.6.2026”.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the location and the date when the pictures were taken. No earlier version of the pictures was found posted online before Monday.

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PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday reiterated his warning to the PML-N that a “countdown” for it has begun, as he declared that his party’s “movement” for people’s rights will extend to the entire country.

Bilawal made the remarks in a series of video messages he shared on X, wherein he reiterated his allegations of rigging against the PML-N — his party’s ally in the Centre — during the ongoing Azad Kashmir elections.

The PPP and the PML-N have been engaged in a war of words since the latter emerged in the lead in Mirpur polls on July 27. The PML-N has also won the majority of the seats in the second phase, with the PPP accusing it of rigging and other violent tactics in both phases.

In one of the three clips posted on X on Monday, Bilawal affirmed that his party’s struggle for the people’s right to governance, ownership and employment will continue.

“This movement will not remain restricted to the mountains of Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan. God-willing, I will run this movement across the entire Pakistan,” he declared.

The PPP chairman added, “And my message for the friends in PML-N is just this: you can hear those voices, listen carefully, tick tock, tick tock. Your countdown has begun.”

Bilawal had also given a similar warning last week to the federal government, which is led by the PML-N in alliance with his own PPP.

Bilawal paid tribute to the people of Kashmir for “competing with the PML-N, its threats, rigging and bullets” in the ongoing elections.

He reiterated the PPP’s claims that its party worker was killed, an MNA suffered a bullet injury, and its leader Chaudhry Latif Akbar — currently the acting AJK president — was “attacked” on Sunday during polling in Muzaffarabad.

The PML-N has disputed the claim about the party worker, saying he died from a heart attack and was not part of the PPP.

In a subsequent video clip, Bilawal asserted that the elections so far have not been “transparent.

“These were rigging elections, bullet elections, murderous elections and bloody elections,” he claimed.

Addressing his supporters, he said, “Despite all this, you have secured nine seats for PPP. God-willing, I will get you back the seats stolen from you in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad.”

The PPP chairman urged the people of Muzaffarabad’s LA-27 (Kutla) and LA-28 (Lachhrat) — where polling will be held tomorrow (August 4) after being suspended due to issues arising from bad weather — to vote for PPP candidates Basil Naqvi and Javed Ayub.

Moreover, Bilawal announced holding a jalsa in Poonch division’s Bagh town ahead of the elections set for August 10 across the division. “The PPP does not lose courage, back down or leave the field. You should be ready.”

The AJK Election Commission has hinted that polling in Rawalakot and Tharor might not take place, stressing that law and order played a key role in holding elections.

AJK Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal told media today: “God-willing, we are ready to hold elections in all constituencies except for [Rawalakot] city and Thorar.

“Our preparation is complete for all constituencies. However, the law and order situation and the demands of the safety of voters play an important role in holding elections.”

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When a memorandum of understanding (MoU) intended to bring the Iran war to a formal close within sixty days was announced on June 14, the world, particularly Asian economies dependent on Gulf oil, breathed relief. The Strait of Hormuz, which had been largely shut to shipping since late February, seemed to be slowly reopening, and oil prices retreated from their crisis peaks. The damage the conflict had inflicted on Asian economies — on growth, household budgets, and government finances — appeared to be contained as the ceasefire, no matter how fragile, between the US and Iran spawned hopes of a lasting peace in the region, which supplies around 90 per cent of energy to the Asian economies.

But, barely a month into the ceasefire, fresh hostilities broke out between the US and Iran. Though Pakistan and other mediators have kept pushing both to return to the MoU — a 14-point framework under which Washington and Tehran agreed to halt hostilities and reopen Hormuz to shipping while working through the harder questions of sanctions, Iran’s nuclear programme, and regional security over a 60-day window —, they haven’t been able to stop the war as yet.

Since its resumption last month, the war is no longer contained to two countries. It has pulled in other countries from the region, as well as armed militias. The map of this war keeps getting bigger, with more actors being added. The conflict has already spilt over to the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis are targeting Saudiflagged ships, and to the Caspian Sea, where Ukraine hit vessels carrying Iranianlinked military cargo. Riyadh has also stitched together a Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance, a 14-nation coalition announced on July 30, led by Saudi Arabia, alongside Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt, to safeguard critical regional waterways.

That expansion is the real danger now. Global institutions have already stopped treating the Iran war as a regional story. The International Monetary Fund has cut its global growth forecast, pointing to geopolitical uncertainty, tighter financial conditions and inflation risk. The World Bank puts growth below pre-pandemic norms; the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development flags the same softness in both advanced and emerging economies.

Global institutions have already stopped treating the Iran war as a regional story

The International Energy Agency, for its part, has warned that oil-market volatility tied to the war is complicating energy security and investment planning worldwide. None of these institutions is describing a contained Middle East problem; they are describing a drag on the global economy.

The transmission channel is energy, and it is a fast one. The region runs a large share of the world’s energy trade — a fifth or more of all seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz alone, with Bab el-Mandeb carrying a further slice of global shipping.

Any disruption to Gulf oil and gas supply pushes crude prices up, and that shows up quickly in transport costs, manufacturing costs and electricity bills everywhere. It doesn’t stop there. Higher energy costs feed into fertiliser and food production too. The World Bank has repeatedly pointed out that commodity spikes land hardest on developing economies, which is exactly the group least equipped to absorb them.

Pakistan is a useful illustration of how that plays out in practice. The economy has largely escaped any unreversible impact so far. GDP growth came in at 3.7pc for FY26, the fastest pace in four years yet short of the 4pc target due to a slowdown in the fourth quarter. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb blamed the Middle East conflict for disrupting a trajectory that had otherwise been on track despite the 2025 floods and tariff uncertainty at the start of the fiscal year. A good year, undercut by a war hundreds of miles away.

The State Bank’s monetary policy tells the same story from a different angle. It held its policy rate at 10.5pc through the early months of the conflict, then raised it by a full percentage point to 11.5pc in April as oil-driven inflation pushed past the central bank’s target range. Inflation has since eased down to 11.1pc in June from 11.7pc in May. The SBP has now held the rate steady for two consecutive meetings, most recently on July 27. The bank has been candid in acknowledging that another shock out of the Middle East could undo the progress quickly, given how heavily Pakistan still depends on imported energy.

The external side has indeed improved. A current account deficit of just $139 million last fiscal year, and reserves sitting around $20bn, buy Pakistan more room than it had in 2022-23. It is not, however, a shield against a sustained oil-price shock. A prolonged closure of Hormuz and other chokepoints in the region would widen the trade deficit, pressure the currency and eat into the reserves that took years of discipline to rebuild.

Both households and businesses are struggling with higher fuel prices, which raise transport and electricity bills, as well as the price of almost everything else. It also leaves the government with the same bad choice it always faces in an energy shock: pass the cost on to consumers and worsen inflation, or subsidise it and widen the fiscal deficit.

Gulf producers depend on it to move their oil to market, and Asia’s economies depend on Gulf energy reaching them uninterrupted at affordable prices. The escalation in war has hit both hard, and a prolonged disruption would hit the world’s biggest manufacturing centres and its fastest-growing markets just as hard.

The world economy has little room to absorb a shock of this kind. That gives Washington and Tehran a responsibility that extends past their own confrontation. Their decisions now ripple into inflation, interest rates, food prices and industrial output across continents. Countries already carrying heavy debt and weak currencies feel this hardest.

That said, nothing about the current trajectory points towards peace returning to the region immediately. Every week brings a new country into the fighting and a new reason for someone to strike back. Reversing that momentum gets harder with each attack. But the alternative is a war that keeps growing, keeps costing lives, and keeps draining economies, Pakistan’s included, that had nothing to do with how it started.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, August 3rd, 2026

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• Initial tally shows ‘N’ leading second phase of elections
• PPP set to win two refugee, two territorial seats; alleges widespread rigging
• Polling in two constituencies postponed till tomorrow
• Sporadic violence hits AJK capital
• Bilawal says PML-N ‘crossed all limits’, accuses party of using violence
• Azma eyes victory, says voters ‘deeply impressed’ by Maryam’s performance as CM

MUZAFFARABAD: The PML-N appeared in a comfortable position to consolidate its lead over the PPP in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly after unofficial results from the AJK polls’ second phase showed it ahead in most contests, including the refugee seats spread across Pakistan.

By late Sunday night, the Election Commission had officially notified results of five refugee constituencies, four of which were won by the PML-N and one by the PPP.

Unofficial and unverified results from the remaining constituencies, however, suggested the PML-N had secured victory in 10 of the 12 refugee constituencies and at least two of the seven territorial constituencies where the polling had concluded.

The PPP was said to have won two territorial constituencies and two refugee seats.

Polling was originally scheduled in nine territorial constituencies — five in Muzaffarabad district and two each in Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts — besides all 12 refugee constituencies.

However, the Election Commission deferred polling in LA-27, Muzaffarabad-I (Kutla) until Tuesday after polling staff and election material could not reach the constituency because of landslides and bad weather that blocked the Neelum Valley road and its link roads. Polling at 71 of the 174 polling stations in LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II (Lachhrat) was also postponed until Tuesday for the same reason.

Voting in the remaining polling stations of the constituency was held as scheduled. However, due to a delay in the arrival of polling staff and election material, polling was affected at several locations. Consequently, the Election Commission extended polling by one hour in the territorial constituencies, while polling in the refugee constituencies ended at the scheduled time of 5pm.

Sporadic clashes

In parts of Muzaffarabad city, attempts were reportedly made to disrupt polling in some neighbourhoods, but voting continued in most areas. In LA-31, Muzaffa­rabad-V (Khawra), clashes between workers of the PML-N and PPP were reported in Union Council Katkair.

The PPP alleged that one of its workers, Syed Mushtaq Shah, was killed in an attack by PML-N supporters. The PML-N rejected the allegation, claiming the man suffered a cardiac arrest following a scuffle between two groups. There was no independent confirmation of either claim.

PPP candidate and Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar also wrote to the AJK chief election commissioner, alleging security lapses, firing incidents, interference in polling, prevention of polling agents from entering polling stations and denial of voting rights. He also claimed there had been an attempt on his life in which Advocate Syed Mumtaz Hussain Naqvi was injured, and called for an investigation and legal action against those responsible. There was no immediate response from the Election Commission.

Clashes between workers of the two major parties, some involving the use of firearms, were also reported from different areas, though no casualties were immediately reported.

“This is the first time I am casting my vote. It’s a new experience and I am excited,” said Syeda Warisha, a 22-year-old student, while waiting in a queue outside the Saheli Sarkar polling station in Muzaffarabad.

PML-N leads polls

Late at night, the AJK CEC announced official results of five refugee constituencies.

PML-N candidates Muhammad Amir Shah (LA-41, Valley-II), Syed Shoukat Shah (LA-42, Valley-III), Mohammad Yasin Lone (LA-43, Valley-IV) and Ahmad Raza Qadri (LA-44, Valley-V) were declared successful, while PPP’s Abdul Majid Khan won LA-45 (Valley-VI), where PML-N had not fielded a candidate.

Unofficial and unverified results suggested that the PPP had also won LA-40 (Valley-I) where it had fielded Amir Abdul Ghaffar Lone, while the PML-N swept all six Jammu refugee constituencies through Nasir Hussain Dar, Chaudhry Ismail, Sahibzada Ahsan Raza, Maryam Javed, Zeeshan Ali and Raja Muhammad Siddique.

Among the territorial constituencies, unofficial results indicated that PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir was ahead with a narrow margin in LA-25 (Neelum-I), while the PPP’s Mian Abdul Waheed was leading in LA-26 (Neelum-II).

In LA-29 (Muzaffarabad-III), PPP’s Sardar Mukhtar Abbasi was reported to have defeated PML-N’s Barrister Iftikhar Gillani by nearly 2,000 votes. PML-N candidate Raja Saqib Majeed was said to have defeated PPP’s Chaudhry Latif Akbar in LA-31 (Khawra), while Dr Mustafa Bashir Abbasi of the PML-N reportedly defeated PPP’s Mubashar Munir Awan in LA-30 (Muzaffarabad-IV). In LA-33 (Leepa), PPP’s Deevan Ali Chughtai was reported to have defeated PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Rasheed.

Former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider and PPP’s Sahibzada Ashfaq Zaffar were in a neck-and-neck contest for LA-32 (Muzaffarabad-VI), while in LA-28 (Lachhrat), where polling could not be held at all polling stations, PML-N’s Chaudhry Shahzad Mahmood was reportedly leading the race against PPP’s Syed Bazil Ali Naqvi.

Refugee seats

The Kashmiris voted for their candidates vying for refugee seats at polling stations set up in Chakwal, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Sargodha, Attock, Nawabshah, Hyderabad, Mohmand, Mansehra, Quetta, Dera Ghazi Khan, Peshawar, Sanghar, and Naushahro Feroze.

Polling in these areas largely remained peaceful and recorded a low turnout. In Mohmand, not a single voter turned up at a station set up for the AJK polls. In Dera Ghazi Khan, a single registered female voter cast her ballot at the Govt Elementary School in Maumori, where a polling station had been established just for her.

Out of 12 refugee seats, seven seats are in Punjab, one seat is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one seat (Jammu-VI) is divided between Pun­jab, Islamabad, and Khyber Pakhtun­khwa, one seat is divided between Sindh and Balo­chistan (Valley-I), and one seat (Jammu-I) is shared among refugees living in Balochistan, Punjab, and Sindh. Valley-V seat is divided between Punjab and Islamabad.

Rigging allegations

In continuation of its criticism of the PML-N over the AJK polls, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari accused his ruling partner of “robbing” the mandate.

“The PML-N is robbing the votes of the people of Azad Kashmir through bullets, batons and coercion,” he alleged. In a post on X, he condemned an “attack” on the party’s regional president, Chaudhry Latif Akbar — also the candidate for LA-31 (Muzaffarabad-V). Accu­sing “miscreant elements of the PML-N” of being behind the incident, Bilawal said PPP worker Mushtaq Shah was killed in the same constituency. He demanded that those responsible for the attack on Akbar and the “murderers” of the party worker be arrested.

In a separate statement, Bilawal said, “The PML-N has crossed all limits. Attacks are taking place on our voters and the president of the state (AJK).”

The PPP shared a complaint written to the Election Commission regar­ding a “physical assault” on Akbar. Chaudhry Akbar also wrote two letters to the ECP about the assault and the death of the party worker.

PPP leader Nayyar Hussain Bokhari claimed that eight party workers had been injured in the ongoing elections so far. Mr Bokhari contended there was a “state of lawlessness” in AJK.

Similar allegations were levelled by PPP leaders Nadeem Afzal Chan and Punjab MPA Hassan Murtaza in separate media talks. Mr Chan said the PPP election cell received 15 complaints, which were submitted to the AJK Election Commission. “We have provided the government with clear evidence of rigging but the PML-N has not responded to the PPP’s concerns, he claimed. “The PPP cannot declare these elections free and fair,” he added.

Azma eyes victory

Earlier in the day, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari stated that the PML-N would secure a massive victory. Sharing videos of the peaceful polling process, the provincial minister remarked that the public, deeply impressed by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s governance, was enthusiastically voting for the ‘Lion’ – the PML-N’s electoral symbol.

Taking a jibe at political opponents, she claimed that the “whining party” was nowhere to be seen on the election day. “Those who always cry foul over rigging will keep screaming, while the masses will continue to ensure the PML-N’s success,” she stated. Reflecting on the election campaign, Ms Bokhari noted the overwhelming public reception the party had received. She highlighted that the successful campaign of the PML-N candidates was a testament to their impending victory.

With input from Amjad Mahmood, Syed Irfan Raza, Hamid Asghar, Tariq Saeed Birmani, Aslam Piracha, Sajjad Niazi, Zulfiqar Memon, Saleem Shahid, Mohammad Ashfaq and Nisar Ahmad Khan

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2026

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As rescuers recovered the body of climbing legend Nirmal Purja on Sunday, grief rippled hundreds of kilometres away in Nepal at the school where he first displayed the grit that would make him world-famous.

At the Small Heaven School in Chitwan district, friends, teachers and students gathered around a framed photograph of the 43-year-old British-Nepali climber, adorned with flowers.

Lighting candles, they shared with AFP their memories of the boy they knew long before he became one of the most celebrated figures in modern mountaineering.

“When he was missing, we were praying for him and spent sleepless nights,” Dhiraj Bahadur Panta, a school friend of Purja, told AFP, his voice quivering with emotion.

“It was not only me and my friends. I think people all over the world who knew him… prayed for him. But it was his fate; no one could avoid it.” Purja was killed alongside nine other climbers after they were caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak on Thursday.

News of his death has prompted heartfelt tributes from across the climbing community and beyond, with figures such as Britain’s Prince William offering condolences.

Purja arrived at the boarding school in Nepal’s southern plains as a young boy before later joining the British Gurkhas, a path that eventually led him into elite military service and then to global mountaineering stardom.

He studied at the school for eight years, forging a close bond with fellow students and teachers.

‘Fearless’

On Sunday, students filed past his portrait, laying flowers and offering prayers as teachers remembered their courageous and disciplined pupil.

“Even when he was in class three, he was fearless and committed to achieving something,” Shailendra Baral, who supervised Purja in the school hostel, told AFP.

“He was honest and an obedient student, which made us happy. We found courage in him even when he was a child.” In 2019, Purja stunned the climbing fraternity by scaling the world’s 14 highest peaks in just over six months, shattering the previous record of seven years.

His feat was later chronicled in a Netflix documentary, helping inspire a new generation of climbers and elevating Nepal’s profile in a sport long dominated by Western adventurers.

In 2021, he was part of the historic all-Nepali team that completed the first winter ascent of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain and one of mountaineering’s most dangerous challenges.

In 2022, Purja received a hero’s welcome when he came to Chitwan for the screening of his documentary.
“I grew up here, running around with no shoes on,” he said in a social media post at the time.

“This is my hometown and so I wanted everyone here to see the film and inspire the younger generation.” For many of the students gathered on Sunday, Purja’s achievements were already part of the school’s folklore.

“It really feels bad to hear this news because we had always (heard) good things about him,” said student Sarbagya Paudel.

“His bravery has set a great example for our school. Not only has he made our school proud, but he has also brought pride to Nepal.

“It is heartbreaking to know that he is no longer with us. “

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• US embassies urge citizens to ‘consider departing’ the region
• Iran says any country acting as US defensive shield will be engulfed by flames of war
• Official insists Tehran planning for worst-case scenarios
• 30 commercial vessels redirected by US naval blockade, says Centcom
• Tanker struck by ‘unknown projectile’ off Oman; Kuwait destroys hostile drones
• Houthis deny plans to impose fees on ships sailing through Red Sea

TEHRAN: United States embassies in capitals across the Middle East urged Ame­rican citizens to beware of an “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and asked them to be ready to leave on Saturday as Iran’s military accused the US of “escalating tensions” in the region and warned countries against cooperating with Washington.

US embassies in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates posted the alerts online.

“Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation,” said the security alert.

The messages urged citizens to check flight details and to follow safety advice from local authorities.

“Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions,” it said.

Americans in Jordan were told not to visit US military bases there, which have recently come under Iranian missile att­ack, and in Israel they were urged to seek the location of the nearest bomb shelter.

“The Iranian regime is unpredictable, as seen by its recent decisions to attack areas in the region without warning or provocations as well as to expand attacks to areas not previously targeted [such as Egypt],” said a post on the US Embassy Jerusalem site.

The US embassy in Beirut said that the mission remained on “ordered departure status”, meaning that non-emergency US government personnel were still relocated outside of Lebanon.

Iran’s warning

“The United States is rapidly moving down the path of escalating tensions in the region,” said Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military central command.

“Any country serving as a defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war,” he said in a statement read on state television.

The remarks came after US President Donald Trump reiterated threats to hit Iran “very hard”.

US media reported he was considering renewed heavy attacks as soon as this weekend, including against energy infrastructure targets.

This week, Iran and the US resumed overnight exchanges of fire after a days-long lull in fighting although there were no reported strikes overnight Friday to Saturday.

Mohammad Mokhber, adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, also warned against any attacks on Iranian infrastructure.

“You calculate through military equations, but we respond with the logic of history,” he wrote on X. “Attacking Iran’s infrastructure directly awakens the fault lines on which 250 years of your hegemonic architecture have been built.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian praised the Iranian people as “heroes” for enduring the US-Israeli war on the country, Al Jazeera reported.

Despite having endured “wars, pressure, and relentless hostilities”, Pezeshkian wrote on X, “The future of Iran will be shaped by the people of Iran.”

Separately, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref was quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency as saying that the country was preparing supplies for the next two years, without elaborating on the types of supplies, Al Jazeera reported.

The official said maintaining peace among the people would continue to be the main priority and that the government was planning “even for the worst conditions”.

Kuwait ‘destroys hostile drones’

On Wednesday a drone struck a US-owned gas vessel moored in an Egyptian port, causing a fire. Egypt is investigating but has not yet accused any group of launching the attack.

Meanwhile an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker off the coast of Oman, a British maritime agency said on Saturday, as the United States and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Kuwait’s army also said on Saturday it had detected and destroyed hostile drones in the country’s airspace since dawn, and that what it described as an Iranian attack had targeted several vital facilities.

A government facility in northern Kuwait and civilian property belonging to a company on Bubiyan Island were hit, it said, adding that falling shrapnel caused material damage but no casualties.

Iran has effectively maintained control over navigation through Hormuz since the outbreak of the war, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before using the waterway.

Maritime trade tracking firm Kpler said on Friday that traffic through the Hormuz strait has dropped “sharply”.

US Central Command (Centcom) said that as part of the naval blockade of Iranian ports, American forces have redirected 30 commercial vessels, boarded two and disabled two others.

Meanwhile, a merchant vessel safely passed through the Red Sea under the protection of the Italian frigate Bergamini, the European Union naval mission ASPIDES said on Saturday.

ASPIDES, the EU’s defensive maritime security operation in the Red Sea, did not identify the vessel or disclose its flag, ownership or cargo details.

Houthis deny plans to impose fees

Separately, Yemen’s Houthi-run maritime coordination body denied on Saturday that it planned to impose fees on commercial ships transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait, saying no such decision had been taken and that passage through the strategic waterway remained free.

The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) said its “safe transit service was a voluntary and cost-free service”.

“The HOCC categorically confirms that any individual or entity requesting the payment of money in exchange for transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait does not represent the Republic of Yemen or HOCC in any capacity whatsoever,” it said in a statement.

“The HOCC urges shipping companies not to make any payments or provide any information to unauthorized individuals or entities,” it said.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026

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MUZAFFARABAD: Polling for the second phase of elections to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly will be held on Sunday in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 constituencies reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan, where more than 340 candidates are contesting 21 seats.

According to the AJK Election Commission, 207 candidates are in the fray for the nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division, comprising five seats in Muzaffarabad district and two each in Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts.

Another 137 candidates are contesting the 12 refugee constituencies, including six seats representing refugees from the Kashmir Valley and six from Jammu.

A total of 809,621 voters are registered in Muzaffarabad division, including 427,955 men and 381,666 women.

The 12 refugee constituencies have a combined electorate of 438,834, comprising 247,776 male and 191,054 female voters.

Internet services were suspended again on Friday, less than 45 hours after being restored, as part of efforts to discourage elements attempting to disrupt the election process. Official sources said the services were likely to be restored on Sunday.

However, the Election Commission made it clear that polling would be held as scheduled in all nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and the 12 refugee constituencies.

It added that polling would continue from 8am to 5pm without a break.

Election material had been delivered to all polling stations in the 12 refugee constituencies, the commission said, adding that the distribution of polling material had also been completed in all constituencies of Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts, while the process had entered its final stage in the five constituencies of Muzaffarabad district.

Polling staff had also been dispatched to their respective polling stations under stringent security arrangements.

According to the commission, 1,483 polling stations have been established across Muzaffarabad division, of which 533 have been declared highly sensitive, 741 sensitive and 209 normal.

Another 1,057 polling stations have been set up for the 12 refugee constituencies.

It said all administrative and security arrangements had been completed and security personnel had already been deployed at polling stations to ensure the peaceful conduct of polling.

Separately, in a televised message to the public on the eve of polling, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal urged voters to exercise their right to franchise, saying the vote was the only means through which citizens could choose a better future and capable leadership.

“There is no substitute for the vote, and every citizen should fulfil this national responsibility,” he said, adding that the vote was a trust that should be entrusted to an honest and competent candidate.

Mughal appealed to the electorate to participate wholeheartedly in the democratic process and demonstrate responsible citizenship. He said all arrangements had been finalised to ensure peaceful, transparent and fair elections.

During the first phase of elections in Mirpur division, the PML-N grabbed nine out of the 13 constituencies.

Polls in AJK are being held in three phases over security concerns, with the first set of polls held in Mirpur division on June 27. Scuffles, violence and allegations of rigging had marred the polling process, with the PML-N and PPP accusing each other of electoral malpractice.

According to preliminary results issued by the AJK Election Commission (Forms-27), the PML-N emerged as the winner in nine constituencies, while the PPP could secure only four seats.

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