Sir, - Congratulations on publishing Dr Jane Pillinger's most valuable letter (November 2nd), insisting that Afghan women be involved in building the new future for their country, and highlighting the work of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan.
This association was founded in 1977, long before the Taliban appeared on the horizon, and even when their leader, Meena, was murdered (allegedly by Soviet agents) in 1987, it persisted. It has run schools, created jobs for women, run a hospital and counselled its traumatised and displaced sisters. It operates from Pakistan, and is the most authoritative source of information about Afghan women It also has an extremely informative webpage - www.rawa.org/. One crucial way that we in Ireland could help is if important and influential organisations such as Concern, with voices that are listened to by the Government, were to speak out on its behalf and thereby raise its international profile, it would soon become impossible for external decisions to be made about Afghanistan without these courageous women being brought into the process. - Yours, etc.,
Margaretta D'Arcy, St Bridget's Place Lower, Galway.