On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the 'People's War', former royal army generals have come out and said that had it not been for the people's war, we would not have had democracy.

Retired General and nominated Maoist MP Kumar Fudung asks, "If peaceful protests were effective, then why did real change not come after the 1951, 1980 and 1990 movements?" He said that the state needed a real challenge in order to change, and the Maoists provided just that by taking up arms.
Retired General Khagendra Pant said, "The people's war taught Nepalis that nothing would happen if we kept quiet, which is why Nepalis were willing to lay down their lives."

Military expert Indrajit Rai agrees, "The Maoists established their base through the armed conflict, and they were the first to raise and address issues relating to women, dalit, and janajatis." Asked what he thought about integrating the People's Liberation Army into the Nepal Army, Rai replied: "The 237-year old army structure needs to be changed to make the army better." He added that the 'old' army is loyal to one person alone, which is why its future should be in the hands of those who believe in democracy. "This has to be taken into consideration during army recruitment, training, enlisting, and promotion," Rai said.

Former SSP Chuda Bahadur Shrestha said that back in 1996 he was one of the very few people who said that the insurgency was not a law and order problem, but a necessary revolution.