THE political crisis in Nepal has deepened further with King Gyanendra stepping into his second year of assuming all powers of the state on a promise of restoring democracy which remains a far cry. The challenge before him, however, is the presence of Maoist rebels who have gained further ground due to the King's inability to unite the democratic forces. Rather, the political leaders are reported to have been facing repressive measures and are being driven towards some kind of understanding with the Maoists, not the King.

The King's hands are empty at the moment, as his attempt to organise municipal polls, in the face of resistance from the Maoists, has been viewed with suspicion by the political parties. They consider it as something of an eyewash aimed at legitimising the King's takeover. The press has also come down heavily on Gyanendra's one year rule, terming the King as having isolated himself internally and externally.

The Maoists have already greatly undermined the political system in Nepal through resorting to violence. And they scored political mileage too through declaring a unilateral ceasefire last September, which the King rejected out of hand. So, the possibility of a negotiated settlement of the crisis looks very remote in the prevailing circumstances.

Nepal has landed in a difficult political quagmire and only workable unity among the democratic forces could help the country extricate itself from it. The King who should have acted as a catalyst in this respect, has instead clamped down on the political parties, press and the Maoist with the result that he stands friendless.

As a friendly country in the neighbourhood of Nepal and a cotraveller in Saarc, we only wish that the government and the political parties in the beautiful Himalayan kingdom will make a common cause of steering clear of the deepening crisis they find themselves embroiled in at the moment.