Pakistan attack toll rises as POK polls, Broad Peak rescue dominate region

Newdelhi,UPDATED: Aug 3, 2026 20:44 IST

A series of developments were reported from South Asia and the Middle East on Monday, including a deadly suicide attack in northwest Pakistan, election results in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and a rescue operation on Broad Peak. In Pakistan, police said the death toll in the suicide attack on a police station during a peace rally had risen to 17 after three more people died of their injuries.

In other developments, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) won 14 of the 18 seats contested in the second phase of elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, putting it in a position to form the government in the region. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirmed his government’s stand on abolishing the presidential system through constitutional reforms, while normalcy returned to Nepal’s Madhesh and Koshi provinces after communal violence. US President Donald Trump also said talks to wind down the war in Iran would begin on Monday.

Police in Pakistan said the toll in the suicide attack during the peace rally rose after three more injured people succumbed. The attack had targeted a police station in the country’s northwest.

In Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the second phase of polling ended with Sharif’s PML-N sweeping the contest, winning 14 out of 18 seats. The result is set to allow the party to form a government in the region. The elections were held amid violence and allegations of rigging.

Authorities in Islamabad said the bodies of three more mountaineers had been recovered from Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the expedition team was hit by a deadly avalanche. Rescue teams are now searching for the remains of the last two members of the team.

In Colombo, President Dissanayake said again that his government remained committed to abolishing Sri Lanka’s presidential system through constitutional reforms. In Nepal, officials said the law and order situation had improved and normalcy had returned to the southern provinces of Madhesh and Koshi, which border India, after days of communal violence. In Cairo, Trump said fresh talks aimed at winding down the war in Iran would start on Monday, after saying he was holding back from the massive strikes he had earlier threatened against the country.

Overall, Monday brought a mix of political, security and rescue developments across the region, from the rising toll in Pakistan’s suicide attack and election results in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to constitutional reform in Sri Lanka, improving conditions in Nepal, and a renewed diplomatic push over Iran.

With PTI Inputs

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