1) Trump says truce expires ‘Wednesday evening Washington time’.
US President Donald Trump has signalled an extension in the ceasefire with Iran, which was set to end on April 21 8pm ET.
He told Bloomberg in a phone interview that the truce expires on “Wednesday evening Washington time”.
But the president also said it’s “highly unlikely that I’d extend it” if no deal is reached before then, the report said.
It seemed that a second round of talks was going to happen. Islamabad’s Red Zone is locked down in anticipation of the arrival of the American delegation. JD Vance was supposedly returning to Islamabad. But the US seizure of an Iran-flagged ship and Iran’s closing of the Strait of Hormuz once again seems to have changed things.
2) Basharat Peer on Kashmir, Haider, Homebound, Iran, Modi, Erdogan & Why Democracies Break
[Note: Basharat Peer’s Curfewed Night is one of the classic books about growing up as a Kashmiri Muslim in Indian-Administered Kashmir in the 1990s.
I’ve met Basharat Peer when he spoke at LUMS some years ago. He signed my copy of his book. ]
3) Remembering Asha Bhosle: A View From Pakistan
Both countries’ polities remain locked in an unending war and demonise each other in all forms of despicable ways and continue to pull up walls and disinformation through propaganda, movies and fake news about one another. Still, can you stop me from loving Amir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, or Ranbir Kapoor? And Asha ji’s voice?
There is a generation or two who remember better times and continue to love our classical and Bollywood film phases. You can’t erase our experiences. Pakistanis have grown up loving Indian movies and their singers and actors.
Looking at the comments under the Geo TV notice by PEMRA is a testament of the sanity that foundationally prevails in Pakistani society.
We might rally around our government when it is under attack from outside forces, but we will not deny our shared love and admiration of iconic artists of the subcontinent. That would be denying our own culture.
Kabir, as a general rule. Open Threads are Open to all Contributors, in good standing with BP, and can only be Moderated by Admin.
BB & RNJ can comment here.
Please confirm agreement with this principle.
Then I will change this so that’s not an open thread.
I refuse to deal with BB and RNJ . That’s my red line.
Life is too short to spend dealing with passive aggression and downright nastiness.
Fair – good call.
Please amend the Thread
Another Info Graphic from my Tamil Nadu fried
Crime Against Women per 100,000 women
If this analysis is correct, then we know the out come of the Iran US war,
The Israelis did not know they were blind.
https://web.facebook.com/reel/1316461960350864
This is the long history of Sonagar in Sri Lanka and Kerala. It is thousand years ahead of Islam’s origin. Shasi Tharoor puts it very clearly in his style.
https://web.facebook.com/reel/2394172801102676
Iran will drag this out (rightly so) and exhaust the US. Ultimately its going to be Vietnam redux for the US. It seems that the lessons of history are always lost upon them.
hmm – the difference with Vietnam is that oil prices weren’t being affected. the whole world suffers because of this conflict.
Oh absolutely 💯 Makes it 1000x worse for the US in the long run.
Trump has ensured that neither friend nor foe can trust the US.
Going back to that delightful statement attributed to Kissinger: ‘It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.’
I think Iran is winning the war of attrition. Its playing the long game, as only a civilization can…
“Malka Jan: The life and lost verses of a 19th century courtesan”
By Tarana Husain Khan
https://scroll.in/article/1091783/malka-jan-the-life-and-lost-verses-of-a-19th-century-courtesan