The Indian comic villain, Ajit, orders the death of a woman and her lover, neglecting to first check their identities. After the wrong couple has been dispatched of, he yells, "Sorry!" Unlike Ajit, the Maoists have yet to muster courage to take responsibility for the murder last month of the chief of the Armed Police Force, Krishna Mohan Shrestha, his wife, Nudup and a bodyguard.

The Shresthas' murder exposed the Maoist double standard of blaming the government for killing people under the guise of fake encounters, thereby violating the Geneva Convention. Nudup Shrestha was a civilian. Her only 'crime' was to spread the light of education.

The ceasefire declared soon after the murders have already witnessed attempts to derail proposed talks. The alleged meeting between King Gyanendra and the Maoist leaders seem to have been aimed at weakening the authority of Minister Narayan Singh Pun. The dialogue "shop-keepers" even referred to Pun as a clown and claimed they were instrumental in organising the earlier meeting. Of course, there are forces inside and out of the country that don't want to see this problem resolved.

We should appreciate the efforts made by Pun so far. But success is not likely unless there is mass participation and understanding. The king, political parties and the Maoists must be made aware of attempts to derail the talks. The success of these talks should be a homage to the Shresthas.