Naila Rabbani is a reader of experimental systems biology at Warwick University.
Burhanuddin Rabbani, of Jamiat-i-Islami, was until very recently the internationally-recognised president of Afghanistan and has moved into Kabul's "Palace Number One".
Mr Rabbani, who still regards himself as president of Afghanistan, has dismissed the Bonn meeting as merely "symbolic".
Most are not Pushtuns, so the main ethnic group rejects them as a government.The way Mr Rabbani has ruled the sliver of territory under his control is anyway not much of an advertisement.
Burhanuddin Rabbani, who is of the Jamiat-I-Islami faction, was until very recently the internationally recognised president of Afghanistan and has moved into Kabul's "Palace Number One".
Then, when the boots wear out, more have to be imported.However, the earthquake was in the province of Takhar, a part of Afghanistan still controlled by the forces of Burhanuddin Rabbani, whose government lost control of the capital Kabul in 1996 to the Taliban, but is still recognised by Russia.
They promised to "liberate" Kabul's people from their corrupt government.Mr Masoud was defence minister in that government, headed by Burhanuddin Rabbani, which, theoretically, is still in existence in exile.
Iran, he declared, would continue to recognise Mr Rabbani as the president of Afghanistan.
"They still believe the rebels are rapists and looters," says Muftah Rabbani, a leader of the Warfallah tribe in Bani Walid, during a pause in talks held at a roadside mosque on the front-line.
After both sides' armies agreed to "de-escalate" tensions, on January 16th Pakistan's foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, called for talks to defuse them.
Mr Rabbani is due to return to Kabul shortly.
