Kathmandu: Things began rolling in positive direction around the time of King Gyanendra’s Biratnagar trip early last month.

To recall, the Maoists insurgency had declared January 3, 2003 as Mechi and Koshi zone Bundh apparently with a desire to disrupt the King’s would be felicitation program there on that very particular day.

Back in Kathmandu, the Chand government considered it opportune to negotiate with the Maoists leaders and it was apparently decided to send a letter straight in the name of Comrade Prachanda hinting him that the establishment was ready for talks and that the government needed response from the other camp at the earliest.

The government apparently sent the letter on January 1 to Prachanda and hoped that the letter will have its positive effect on the King’s scheduled trip to Biratnagar

A pretty tired of violent activities that had been continuing for long and that considering the consignments of arms and weapons that were either arriving in the country or were to be delivered soon or even considering the incessant international commitments against terrorism to Nepal, comrade Prachanda appars to have concluded that it was time to attend the talks should the other side offered greater concessions.

Unconfirmed reports have it that Comrade Prachanda too responded to the letter thus sent by the government. But then it decided to address the King himself and reports have it that the letter thus sent to the monarch was dated January 23, 2003.

That the letters from both the sides were exchanged gets reflected from the fact that not a simple firecracker the Maoists fired on their declared Bundh day that had coincided with the King’s Biratnagar felicitation day. That was a significant hint from the Maoists that they took the government’s offer for talks in good faith.

The delay later seen in announcing the cease fire was apparently due to the delay in sending a response from the King to the other camp.

Whether the King himself took up the matter or instructed others to act on his behalf will come to the fore later.

Unconfirmed sources dare to divulge that the monarch utilised his Biratnagar sojourn to the hilt. In effect, the same sources claim that the present cease fire is the outcome of King’s secret meeting with some top-hats of the Maoists insurgency while he was in Itahari Army camp. Others say that this he did while he was in the Char-Ali military camp. This is yet to be confirmed. Guess works only.

Sources claim that the King convinced the Maoists leaders to come to the talks and suggested them to take up the matters of nationalism and national interests supreme at the talks.

Later comes to the scene minister Narayan Singh Pun. Minister Pun managed his talks with some leaders of the insurgency through the use of the good offices of D.R.Lamichane and Dr. Birendra Jhapali.

Sources say that minister Pun met Sagar Chetri alias Devendra Parajuli, a prominent Maoists leader affiliated to its Student grouping and convinced him of the government’s sincerity for the talks.

Yet another Maoists CC leader, Dev Gurung, with whom minister Pun managed connection is also learnt to have facilitated Mr. Pun’s mission.

Whether the King met some high ranking Maoists leaders at his Palace last week, as is being given to understand by some powerful newspapers, is still a dilemma. The Palace has denied of such a meeting outrightly. However, as events took place, it does suggest that some sort of rendezvous has taken place either straight with the King or his nominee on that fateful evening which paved the way for the announcement of a cease fire.

The Palace denies. So do the Maoists.

Be that as it may, it is less important as to who brokered peace. What is important is that a cease fire has already been declared. If it were the King himself who brokered peace, what is the harm in it? After all some one had to do it, the King has done it. Nothing to panic.

If it is not the King himself and some body else, let’s greet the sudden development which has been practically greeted by all peace loving countries of the world.

Very convincingly, it is said that Mr. Dhani Ram Lamichane and Dr. Birendra Jhapali were in constant contact with both, the minister and the Maoists leaders. The minister in turn conveyed the message to the Prime Minister who in turn passed on to the monarch himself. Other sources claim that minister Pun at times used to meet the monarch himself and received instruction on how to proceed further. What is also for sure is that the leaders of the congress and the UML who were busy in deriding at the King were totally and very surprisingly bypassed perhaps for understandable reasons.

(Analyses based on talks with various sources. The assessment made here could be a mere conjecture or very close to the truth-editor)