PESHAWAR - The Afghan Women Council (AWC), on the eve of International Women Day, has sent separate messages to the US president, UN secretary-general, OIC, president of Iran, King Fahad Khadem Al Haramain Sharifain, and Chief Executive of Pakistan, asking them to take practical steps for the restoration of peace and improvement of the deteriorating condition of women in war-torn Afghanistan. The AWC also appealed to President Bill Clinton and Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf to visit three million Afghan refugees languishing in various camps in Pakistan, to see the Afghan people in general and women in particular. "The international community, instead of supporting the legitimate struggle of Afghan women for restoration of human rights and solution to Afghanistan's problems, are using the situation for their personal interests," the AWC deplored.

To mark the International Women Day, the AWC held a function at Peshawar on Tuesday, which besides the representatives of the UNHCR, AKBAR, was also attended by the women belonging to various refugee camps of NWFP. Almost all the women speakers deplored the deteriorating state of the Afghan refugees and particularly the women in their camps. Majority of the women were those who had lost their husbands, brothers, sons and other relatives in the wars, announced their support to the AWC, for the reconciliation and restoration of peace in Afghanistan. An Afghan Woman, Malika, who had lost her three sons, said that she did not want continuation of the war. "I want restoration of peace in my country so that I repatriate to my country with honour and dignity.

Later, she was awarded a gift by the AWC, terming her as one of the greatest and bold lady. Malika announced her full support to the AWC for the restoration of peace in her war-torn country. Speaking on the occasion, AWC Chairperson Fatana Ishaq Gilani, deplored the role of United Nations and other Muslim neighbouring countries as they were paying lip service to the Afghan nation. She said that it was very much right that the West and other Islamic countries had been donating various food and other items of necessities to the Afghans, but they had never worked for creating awareness and national thinking among the Afghan nation. "Had they created political awareness among the Afghan nation, the present situation might have been averted," she claimed adding her organisation was striving to create awareness among the Afghan nation.

Expressing grave concern over the existence of various warring Afghan factions in Pakistan, Fatana Gilani said that it was a matter of shame for them that they created an atmosphere where they could not live and meet each other like brothers and human beings. She urged the participants to play their positive and powerful role in stopping the ongoing war. Fatana said the women could play a better role in restoration of peace. They should not allow their sons, brothers and husbands to fight among themselves. "Once peace in Afghanistan is restored, all the rights of women will be safe," she said, asking the women to stand up for this reconstruction of their own homeland.

The AWC chairperson asked the UN to play its role in restoring peace in Afghanistan, adding the ongoing war was a threat to the regional peace. "We, the Afghan women appeal to OIC and the neighbouring countries to extend cooperation to us in restoration of peace in our country", she added. Fatana appealed to the Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf to visit the Afghan refugees camps to see situation for himself. She said the UNHCR was informing them about its future programmes for Afghanistan. How these Afghans can repatriate to their country in such a situation when their houses have been destroyed by rocket launchers and other arms. There is nothing for them to live there but Afghans were being asked to leave," she deplored. We ask the warring factions to solve their problems through talks, but they have no courage to listen to their opponents. If Taliban are not ready to listen to others, it will not solve the problems," she added.

The function was also addressed by an Afghan journalist, Mohammad Bashir. He observed that the Afghan nation had been kept in the dark intentionally. He said, it was deplorable to note that the innocent people had been punished only for listening to BBC and Radio programmes. He said all the newspapers in Afghanistan had been serving the interests of various warring factions. The other women speakers including Nadia Najee, Zarghona Hamidi and Zuhra also underscored the need for restoring peace.