| Singh is expected to meet the king tomorrow. He is also likely to meet leaders of Nepal's political parties. |
| The decision comes two days after Indian ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shanker Mukherjee told the king that he needs to talk with political parties as a first step towards restoration of multi-party democracy. |
| Nepal has been witnessing strong pro-democracy protests over the last fortnight with India and the rest of the international community building pressure on the king to relinquish power he seized 14 months ago. |
| The prime minister held a high-level meeting on Sunday night to review the latest developments in the neighbouring country. |
| Nepal has been witnessing increasing Maoist insurgency and suspension of the democratic process for over a year after the king dismissed the democratically elected government. |
| At that time, he had said that this would allow him to deal with the Maoists with a firm hand. However, the Maoist threat continues to loom large, with protests against suspension of democratic rights also gathering steam. |
| The Indian government has been caught in a bind since many pro-democracy leaders have deep links with India. There is also a danger that Nepal may access arms from China, hurting India's interests. |
| Meanwhile, anti-monarchy protests continued in Kathmandu despite bad weather as diplomats said the movement against King Gyanendra appeared to be reaching a climax. |
| It was the 13th day of a general strike and protest campaign launched by a seven-party political alliance which wants the king to restore multi-party democracy. |
| Hundreds gathered in various parts of the capital and attempted to start a procession, but were prevented by police. No one was injured. |
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