Human rights activists are concerned that murder and violence are rapidly gaining legitimacy in the country and predict that in such a situation, the peoples' voices will be ignored by all sectors. Rights activist Krishna Pahadi says that both the state and the rebels should be ashamed of their killings. As the parties are moving further away from the people, those waging war are left with a perfect excuse to reject peace and encourage violence, he added. If the path to peace is not found, the country will be pushed further into danger, Pahadi predicted. Instead of badmouthing the international community for interfering in internal matters, the state needs to move beyond such rhetoric and work to find a peaceful solution. A member of the National Human Rights Commission, Gokul Pokhrel, said that violence is increasing because none of the warring sides wants to give in. Military expert and former army officer Karna Thapa blamed a foreign power for backing the recent Maoist attacks. There is a danger that Nepal will soon be the next Sikkim or Bhutan, he added. The political parties must be wary of such influence, which has grown in the last few years, according to Thapa. Instead of looking for answers in Delhi, the leaders of the political parties need to look for solutions inside the country, he argued. Activist Charan Prasai said the state should be held responsible for the Thankot massacre instead of making the police the scapegoat for the incident. Since the state consistently ignored the Maoist's unilateral ceasefire, such an incident was inevitable, he added.