International human rights groups said yesterday King Gyanendra's lifting of emergency rule in Nepal could be a "tactical ploy" to persuade military donors to resume shipments to his ill-equipped army.

Gyanendra ended emergency rule last weekend after seizing power February 1, a move that prompted India and Britain to suspend military supplies to Nepal's army battling to crush a bloody Maoist revolt.

The United States is mulling similar action.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists said the king's lifting of emergency rule "might be a tactical ploy to convince" military donors to resume military aid.

"Without specific and direct action by the king to an immediate return to full democratic, constitutional rule, this could simply turn out to be a cynical attempt to convince India and others ... to resume their military aid," the groups said in a statement.

The groups noted the lifting of emergency rule was immediately followed by an order banning "public gatherings, meetings or any kind of protest programs in public spaces and roads."

"A key test for the kingis whether he will now allow journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders to operate freely," said Purna Sen, director of the Asia Pacific Programme at Amnesty International.

Meanwhile, the United States on Tuesday welcomed the lifting of a state of emergency in Nepal but said the government must also release all political detainees and restore democracy.

The State Department, in a written response to a question posed at the daily press briefing, also urged Nepal's "legitimate political forces" to reconcile and unite against the country's Maoist insurgency.