Saturday, April 2 2005 17:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Former Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today (Apr 2, 2005) vowed to mobilise all political forces to launch a widespread agitation against King Gyanendra's seizure of power even as he thanked India for supporting their fight against the authoritarian rule, a day after his release from the two-month house arrest.

The agitation will continue till full-fledged democracy is restored and it will be further intensified, Koirala, the President of the Nepali Congress (NC), told a crowded press conference at his party office in Kathmandu.

82-year-old Koirala, who was put under house arrest following the February one royal takeover, said he would mobilise all political forces to launch a widespread agitation against the direct assumption of power by King Gyanendra.

The former Prime Minister and 258 activists belonging to various political parties were released yesterday (Apr 1, 2005) amidst increased national and international pressure on the King to restore human rights and free all political detainees.

However, about 1,500 political activists from various parties, including Nepal Communist Party-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, were still in detention.

Koirala also expressed his sincere thanks to the friendly countries, including India, for supporting the political parties' fight against the authoritarian rule. "But it is our problem and we must solve it by ourselves."