Shaharzad AkbarVerified account

There is a spectrum of responses to d ceasefire announcement. This is unsurprising & understandable. Some r excited & hopeful about a possibility of reduction n violence, some r weary of Taliban intensions, in light of d violence, & consider d ceasefire offensive 2 lives lost.

There is also ambivalence towards d announcement. None of these voices are invalid. There shud be space for all.

In d past ceasefire, there was fear & concern among women I met.We remember vividly d inhuman treatment of women under d Taliban regime, & d ongoing atrocities against women n Talban controlled areas.There was & is fear & concern about their presence n our cities & neighborhoods.

There r also victims & families of victims of Taliban violence. We need 2 acknowledge them & their pain. We need 2 see d ceasefire through their eyes & not allow ourselves 2 forget r forgive on their behalf. We do not have d incense 2 forgive on anyone's behalf.