In what is seen as an indication of growing international pressure upon the royal regime, the governments of India and US have said they are “concerned by the latest actions of the King in Nepal.”

File photo of US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns with Indian Foreign Secreteray Shyam Saran (Photo source: www.spacewar.com)

File photo of US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns with Indian Foreign Secreteray Shyam Saran (Photo source: www.spacewar.com)
Addressing a joint press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Under Secretary at the US Department of State Nicholas Burns, who is currently in India, and Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Sharan called on His Majesty King Gyanendra to restore democratic processes and release the arrested leaders and human rights activists immediately. Nicholas told reporters that India and US should ‘try to assert’ democratic reconciliation in Nepal.

“We are very concerned by the actions of the King,” Burns said referring to the arrest of top political leaders and hundreds of political activists and imposition of curfew ahead of an anti-king rally in Kathmandu.

In an official communiqué, the US administration has criticized the actions of Nepal government against the protesting political and human rights leaders. The US government also criticized the Maoists saying that they should not use violence as a political weapon.

Reports noted that it was the first time India and the US directly referred to the King instead of the Nepal government while commenting upon the on-going political turmoil in the Himalayan kingdom.

Meanwhile, a powerful political party of India, the CPI (Marxist) has condemned what it called the renewed `repression’ by the royal regime in Nepal.

In a statement issued Friday, the CPI (M) Politbureau said, “There is no doubt whatsoever that the King will not allow any democratic political activities. The CPI (M) is confident that the people of Nepal will respond in a big way to the call for ending the autocratic regime.”