Fghanistan's first traditional coun-cil in decades got off to a bumpy start this week. More than 1,500 delegates, 200 of them women and including teachers, engineers, aid workers, provincial governors, political leaders and former mujahi-deen, came from all over the country to participate in the loya jirga, supposed to elect a head of state and a government to replace Hamid Karzai's interim administration. Bearded tribesmen in huge buttercup yellow turbans mingled with men in suits and women delegates in a vast carpeted tent set up in Kabul Polytechnic. In between sessions, all gathered for discussions on cushions in side tents. In spite of their differences, they shared a common desire: to speak and be heard.
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