As you rightly argue in your editorial "Fiddling while Dolpo burns" (#11) the answer to the Maoist problem lies in Kathmandu, not in western Nepal. But by pinning all hopes on Sher Bahadur Deuba as you did in "Peace in pieces" (#9) Nepali Times has shown political naivete. It may be an indication of how desperate you are to find a silver lining in the dark clouds that you highlight anyone who comes along saying he wants to negotiate. But don't you see that throughout his political career Sher Bahadur Deuba has been nothing but a political opportunist? And so it is this time. While the country was in shock after the barbarity of the latest Maoist killing spree, Deuba was busy scoring political points within the Nepali Congress. And while his own party was taking on the might of the army and the palace, Deuba was giving ample indication about which side his ideological loyalty lies.

Ganga Thapa
Kathmandu