It was Sunday, the 8th of April in 1990. A few minutes past eleven at night, the state radio broadcast a royal palace communiqué announcing the lifting of the ban on political parties. That prohibition had been the handiwork of King Mahendra, who had carried out a coup against the existing parliamentary government in December 1960 and introduced the 'partyless' Panchayat system. That radio broadcast essentially represented the success of the non-violent People's Movement of Vikram Sambat 2046 and the overthrow of the hated Panchayat. That was the day a peaceful resistance pushed back a violent, autocratic monarchy.
The next day, 9 April, the streets of Kathmandu Valley were full of jubilant crowds. Never in Nepali history had the power of non-violence manifested itself this intensely and successfully. The political parties, who had been maligned, proscribed and persecuted for three decades came to power and constituted the government on 19 April. Seven months later, a Constitution which vested sovereign power in the citizens was promulgated.
The people had believed that the fight for a pluralistic political system was over, and what remained was to work towards an inclusive state where social discrimination and economic deprivation would be tackled and historical wrongs corrected. But they are today back on the streets, once again using the principles of sustained peaceful agitation to bring back democracy from the grip of Mahendra's son, King Gyanendra.
On 1 February 2005, the citizens saw a replay of December 1960. King Gyanendra used the excuse of fighting the Maoist insurgency to take complete control of the state, appointing himself as chairman of the cabinet. The people are now back to a movement to overthrow a king's autocratic agenda. This time around, the non-violent struggle is complicated by the fact of the Maoists insurgency (though presently in a unilateral ceasefire) and the deployment of the Royal Nepal Army countrywide to enforce the royal will.