Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir met Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf in Tehran on Thursday, April 16, as the Associated Press reported an "in-principle agreement" between Washington and Tehran to extend the ceasefire beyond its April 21-22 expiration. [1] By close of business Friday in Islamabad, no Round 2 date had been announced. The paper's Thursday account of four capitals and no coordinator held its shape, because nothing filled the empty square on the calendar.

An "in-principle" extension that has not been announced is a sentence, not a treaty. The Economic Times reported a separate, short-term general waiver for Russian oil already on the water — a financial gesture, not a diplomatic one. [2] The Kashmir Observer described the extension as something regional officials "told AP" rather than something the parties had signed. [3]

Tuesday or Wednesday is when the clock runs out. Pakistan has spent three weeks acquiring the mediator's chair and now sits in it without a table. Munir flew to Tehran because Islamabad had nothing to host. The ceremony of shuttle diplomacy continues; the counterpart calendar does not. If Round 2 does not appear by Monday evening, the ceasefire expires on a verbal agreement neither principal will sign. The paper's Thursday question — whether mediation is process or performance — is now a deadline.

-- PRIYA SHARMA, Delhi