I was afraid this might happen. By suspending parliament and taking absolute power, Nepal’s monarch has effectively isolated and turned civil society against him. Now, it seems that the seven main political parties from parliament, which represent some 95% of the population, will be staging joint protests with the Maoist rebels against the king. Not good.

KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Nepal’s royalist government urged opposition parties on Wednesday to call off proposed talks with Maoist rebels, saying they were playing into the hands of the guerrillas to sow fresh divisions in the troubled kingdom.

The warning came a day after the country’s seven mainstream parties said they were preparing to talk with the rebels to launch joint protests against King Gyanendra, who seized power in a royal coup in February.

“There is no use for such talks. It is not proper … and such a meeting cannot be in the interest of the country,” Information and Communications Minister Tanka Dhakal told Reuters.

He said the rebels were trying to create a rift between the parties and the government, installed after Gyanendra took power on February 1. “This is part of their game. Democratic forces must not get into that game,” said Dhakal.

Gyanendra says he was forced to take charge because the political parties were unable to end the nine-year Maoist rebellion which has killed more than 12,500 people.

But the world’s only Hindu kingdom is no closer to peace. There have been no talks between the government and the rebels, and no military progress in the war.

The reason that the king gave for suspending parliament and establishing a state of emergency was that the political parties were failing to combat the Maoists effectively. Despite absolute rule, the king has fared no better in the fight, except now civil society is facing government oppression as well. They’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.

This is a classic case of how government-sponsored oppression can drive otherwise peaceful political participants to extremism. Crackdowns on protesters and journalists isn’t going to defeat the Maoists, but it will certainly make the king even more enemies among the people. Now, that’s not to say that these people will take up arms with the Maoists or even agree with their political views. It means that they are willing to form a temporary anti-government alliance for the purpose of pressuring the king.

If the king truly wants to combat the Maoists, he isn’t doing a very good job, and it makes me wonder about his real intentions for disbanding parliament. In order to win, he needs to have civil society and the political parties on his side. But by driving them away from himself, he is risking perhaps more than he can handle. Most people do not like the Maoists, but if the king isn’t willing to let them act as normal, then they may of perceived yet dangerous necessity team up with the Maoists.