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NEW DELHI, Nov 19 (AFP) - United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson Monday said a post-Taliban government in Afghanistan must include women and added that Asian women needed to "rock the system".

Robinson gave a strong call to end gender discrimination in Asia while accepting the Indira Gandhi Prize from Indian President K.R Narayanan at the presidential palace for her role in promoting human rights.

"With regard to the future of Afghanistan it is crucial that strong government institutions be established with the full participation of women," Robinson said.

"They should have the capacity to promote and protect all human rights in a non-discriminatory and effective manner," she added.

Under the Taliban, women in Afghanistan were forced to quit their jobs, were denied education and were forced to adhere to a strict dress code.

Robinson also said that she was "deeply troubled" by the position of girls in modern India.

She said emphasis must be placed on the importance of female literacy to empower women.

"Indeed, I believe that the single most effective way to address poverty in India would be to enable girls and women to change from being passive recipients of social equity to becoming active agents of social change," she said.

Robinson said it was important for women all over the world to participate in government.

"When I was elected president of Ireland I thanked those women who, for the first time, voted in a different way from their husbands, or simply came out and voted, and I said that instead of rocking the cradle they rocked the system," she said.

"Girls and women in India need, literally, to rock the system."

Robinson also urged arch rivals India and Pakistan to work at peace through "patient dialogue".

"Dialogue is necessary if peace is to be possible. In this regard India and its neighbour must continue to seek the path of dialogue over their difficult problems," said Robinson.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf held talks in the Taj Mahal town of Agra in July -- the first summit between the two countries in two years.

However, the summit became deadlocked over the troubled region of Kashmir, which is divided between the two and claimed by both.

Robinson also urged India to support the United Nations in its bid to set up an international criminal court to prosecute people suspected of war crimes or crimes against humanity.

"On all my visits I encourage states to sign and ratify the Roman statue for the establishment of an international criminal court and I hope that India will soon accept to sign and ratify this important landmark."

She said that it was important for Afghanistan to break the pattern of human rights abuses and "ensure judicial accountability for criminal acts".

Robinson added: "Human rights are also central to post-conflict situations. The challenges and opportunities to build sustainable peace by entrenching human rights in the aftermath of conflict is nowhere more clearly seen that in the situation of Afghanistan."

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