The first thing to remember is that the absence of war is not peace. What we have now is a stand-off. There is no frontal war killing 40 people a week, but the fear hasn't abated. The threats remain, people must still do things they don't want to.

Real peace will come when the rebel and state armies come together and genuinely grieve for the victims of both sides. It will come when they are truly sorry for what they did to each other and to citizens of this country who wanted no part in their war. It will come when they apologise.

What we saw last week in Baluwatar was a relief. But no one said sorry. The agreement wasn't about the people, but about sharing power. The war was a power struggle and the peace agreement, a division of the spoils.

Still, by clinching the peace deal the leaders have redeemed themselves in the eyes of the people by giving them what they had most yearned for. Now they have to prove their commitment by sticking as best as they can to the slew of deadlines they've set.

There are many pitfalls. Will the Maoists implode when they start dividing up portfolios in the interim government? The tarai separatists are on the warpath and not a part of the deal, as are the Maoist militia. There are the doubters, mainly royal residues, who say the peace deal is a sham. In fact, they want it to be a sham so they will be proven right about not trusting the Maoists.

Then there are the seven parties and their fragile alliance, which is always on the verge of falling apart. But it has withstood the past two weeks relatively unscathed, proof perhaps that the alliance is more resilient than we give it credit for. But how will parties that can't even agree on ambassadorial appointments share power with the Maoists?

As in the past, the NC, the UML, and the CPN(M) have used each other to press home their advantage. But the stakes now are much higher. It is not about power and who emerges on top on 1 December. It is about rebuilding Nepal together following a new, more representative, blueprint. Only then will the last 11 years and the sacrifice of the 15,000 who died not be in vain.

This is not about power any more, it is about this country's future.