There can be no doubt that Nepal faces daunting problems. The Maoist insurgency remains strong, and on top of continuing violence, only last week a prominent religious leader was killed by unknown assailants, underlining the lack of security in the country. Nevertheless, we feel strongly that curtailing democracy and coming down hard on dissenters is not the answer.

The people caught in the middle of all of this are the long-suffering Nepali people. Our full sympathy resides with the Nepali citizenry who seem to be at the receiving end of a raw deal.

The monarchical and militaristic approach that has been adopted by the King, is, we feel, bound to prove counter-productive. The only real hope for Nepal, as for all countries, lies in the people being free to exercise their own judgement and to decide their own political future.

Democracy in Nepal, since its introduction in the early nineties, has always stood on shaky grounds, and does not seem to have taken firm root. It has been an on-again off-again affair that has not been given a real chance due both to the impatience of the monarchy and the limitations under which the political leaders have had to work.

But regardless of its roller-coaster ride, democracy is the only way forward for Nepal that will solve its problems. We feel that by reverting to autocracy, the country is moving in the wrong direction, and that this will only exacerbate Nepal's problems rather than solve them. Despite its limitations, the democratic political process must be allowed to run its course.