The expatriate community was united in lighting oil lamps for peace at Bouddha last weekend. Can't Nepal's politicians light lamps for peace in a more concrete way by validating the peace process? While foreign leaders openly advocate war, how can Nepali leaders lag behind? The Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala recently said the ceasefire declared without the consensus of the political parties has created chaos among the people. I would like to ask him what does he mean: an all party consensus or a public consensus? Are we wrong to believe that 99.99 percent of the Nepali people are in favour of peace? Doesn't this best reflect the consensus among the public?

I am amazed that the main political parties and their leaders are more interested in "restoring democracy" than in restoring peace and giving relief to rural Nepalis. The people know that for the last 12 years they got nothing from these leaders. The people want peace and relief, haven't the parties realised this yet? I would call upon Nepali women to play a major role in the peace talks. I had heard women played a very significant role within the Maoist movement but they haven't appointed even a single woman to their negotiation team. Does this mean women should kill and be killed like men but cannot represent her kind in the peace talks?