After the extension of the ceasefire we ask critical questions about the new situation in the Middle East. Is this an open ended and indefinite extension of the ceasefire? Who does it benefit more? Does Iran’s refusal to come to Islamabad indicate its feeling stronger? Or is the regime internally divided, as Trump has claimed? Now, whenever talks happen, how can the key differences be bridged? And is either side willing to make the compromises necessary? Those are the key issues Karan Thapar raises with the Co-founder and Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi.

As uncertainty about the talks that were supposed to happen between America and Iran continues, we ask can the Pakistan-brokered talks still happen? If they do how significant will that be? In these circumstances what can they deliver? What does the confusion of the last two days suggest about America and Iran? And where does the advantage lie? Those are the key issues Karan Thapar raises with the well-known and highly regarded Iran Project Director of the International Crisis Group, Ali Vaez.

In an interview to discuss the Prime Minister’s address to the nation on Saturday and his own video response later the same night, former Law and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has said “Prime Minister knowing the facts of history deliberately made statements that are inconsistent with those facts … people know what I mean … I have stated what I have stated (which is) based on the facts of history.”

Speaking about the Chief Election Commissioner, Sibal said if the CEC had been truly independent and impartial “he should have issued him (the PM) a notice. (In fact), he would not have allowed the speech to go on. He should have made a statement. And he knew, he would have known, the Prime Minister was going to give a speech. He should have stopped it. He should have got the text of the speech. But he didn’t do (any of) it … that’s the problem in this country. If institutions, integrity, collapses, there’s nothing left.”