Nepal's King Gyanendra has lifted a state of emergency that he imposed on February 1 after seizing control of the government. The royal palace announcement on Saturday -- made after the king returned from state visits to China, Indonesia and Singapore -- signaled a return to democracy in the Himalayan kingdom, CNN reported. The King ended the state of emergency two days before it was set to expire. At a news conference held by the king when he arrived home, Gyanendra said: "At the Asian-African Summit in Indonesia we presented our stance against terrorism, and the leaders of friendly countries supported us."