The people’s resistant movement of April 2006 in Nepal (hereinafter referred to as April movement) was a non-violent struggle by the people to end the autocratic rule of the King and restore peace by transforming the armed conflict into a viable democratic political system. A non-violent peace initiative requires a fundamentally different approach to have than that requires the use of force and coercive measures in a dominant approach. Non-violent action theory provides a strong analytical framework to understand the civic movement of Nepal. In the area of conflict transformation and peace building, the conceptual framework of non-violent action put forth by peace theorists and leaders provides a new dimension. Proponents of non-violent theories of conflict transformation highlight the importance played by the people’s convictions and ideologies, and their commitments to achieve their goals through a peaceful means. In the understanding of this theory, conflict is a non-violent struggle for bringing about social justice and change. The notion of non-violent actions for social change brings out tensions and contradictions that already exist in society, but which remain denied and covered up.
