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AJK laws tweaked to facilitate refugee voting

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has promulgated the AJK Elections (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, introducing changes to the electoral law aimed at facilitating refugee voters and extending the scope of political party restrictions in line with laws applicable in Pakistan. According to the ordinance, which surfaced on Sunday, after approval by acting president Chaudhry Latif Akbar, amendments have been made to the AJK Elections Act, 2020. Under the amendment to Section 24, the post-1989 refugees from occupied Jammu and Kashmir who have shifted between refugee camps or changed their place of residence within AJK will now be entitled to enrol at their new place of residence and cast their vote accordingly. Move extends scope of party restrictions in line with laws applicable in Pakistan The ordinance also empowers the AJK Election Commission to issue necessary directions, prescribe procedures, prepare supplementary electoral rolls, and take any other steps de...
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Traffic restrictions around Islamabad's Red Zone, Serena Hotel lifted: Ishaq Dar

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that traffic restrictions around Islamabad’s Red Zone and Serena Hotel, which was expected to be the venue for the now cancelled US-Iran talks, had been lifted. “Traffic restrictions around the Serena Hotel and the Red Zone in Islamabad have been lifted today. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the people of Pakistan — especially the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi — for their patience and cooperation. “Your support enables us to ensure the safety of our guests and to continue our efforts for peace in the region. We remain committed to these goals and are grateful for, and in need of, your prayers and wishes,” Dar posted on X. The restrictions were placed on April 19, with Red Zone being closed to the public as the federal capital braced to welcome foreign delegations for expected talks between the US and Iran. Entry of heavy transport had also been suspended in Islamabad, but authorities later relaxed th...
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'Great respect' for Pakistan and they will stay involved, but we are going to do it by phone: Trump on Iran talks

US President Donald Trump reiterated on Sunday that talks with Iran would be held remotely and commended Pakistan, which has been playing a mediatory role between Washington and Tehran, saying that Islamabad would “stay involved” in the process. The US president’s remarks came during a phone interview with Fox News , where he said: “If they (Iran) want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us; you know, there is a telephone … If they want they can talk, but we are not sending people to travel 18 hours to meet.” His remarks come a day after he called off a planned visit of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to travel to Islamabad for a second round of talks with Iran. The first round of historic direct US-Iran talks was held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire on April 8. It had ended without an agreement, but also without a breakdown . Acknowledging Pakistan’s role in the process, Trump said, “Great respect ...
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Can diplomacy survive Trump’s shifting messaging?

US President Donald Trump’s decision to abruptly cancel a previously confirmed visit by his envoys to Islamabad underscores a defining feature of the current crisis: diplomacy that advances and retreats at the speed of presidential messaging. Until this latest move, Washington had been sending mixed but cautiously constructive signals. Backchannel contacts and Pakistan’s mediation had raised the possibility of direct engagement in Islamabad, potentially involving Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Mr Trump’s decision to cancel the trip does not formally end the diplomatic track, but it significantly alters its momentum. Instead of actively pursuing negotiations, the burden now shifts to Tehran, effectively placing the onus on Iran to initiate contact on US terms. US president’s decision to cancel envoys’ trip does not formally end diplomatic track, but it significantly alters its momentum For mediators like Pakistan, this is a notable setback. Diplomacy thrives on conti...
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Trump safe after being rushed from White House correspondents dinner, shooter in custody

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US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by Secret Service agents on Saturday night after a man armed with a shotgun tried to breach security, officials said. A man armed with a shotgun fired at a Secret Service agent, an FBI official told Reuters. The agent was hit in an area covered by protective gear and not harmed, the official said. All federal officials, including Trump, were safe. About an hour after Trump was rushed from the event, he posted on Truth Social that a “shooter had been apprehended.” “Quite an evening in DC, Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” Trump added. — Screengrab via TruthSocial Shortly afterwards, he posted, “The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition.” He said he would be holding a White House press conference on Saturday night. Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said the service was inv...
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In call with Iranian president, PM says Pakistan committed to serving as 'honest and sincere facilitator'

Hours after an Iranian delegation departed Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and said that Pakistan was committed to serving as an “honest and sincere facilitator”. In a post on the social media platform X, PM Shehbaz said that he had a “warm and constructive” call with the Iranian president on the evolving regional situation. “I appreciated Iran’s continued engagement, including the high-level delegation to Islamabad led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whom I had the pleasure of meeting earlier today,” he said. “I reaffirmed that, with the support of friends and partners, Pakistan remains committed to [serving] as an honest and sincere facilitator — working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region,” he said. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the phone call lasted 50 minutes, with the two leaders exchanging views on the “current regional situation and ongoing eff...
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Lessons in mediation

OVER most of the past year, Pakistan’s role in US-Iran diplomacy rema­ined quiet, familiar and carefully limited; functioning as a channel passing messages and keeping lines of open when direct contact between two global adversaries was politically difficult. For the larger part, Islamabad was not setting the agenda, only facilitating communication. That changed at the end of February, when the outbreak of all-out war altered ground realities. What started as discreet facilitation quickly levelled up into something more ambitious, with Pakistan hosting delegations and publicly positioning itself as a bridge between Washington and Tehran. On March 24, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan would “facilitate” dialogue, a formulation that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar echoed a week later at the end of a quadrilateral meeting, when he said Pakistan would “host and facilitate meaningful talks”. From the UN chief to the Kremlin, Islamabad’s efforts to medi...
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