His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Saturday congratulated Sushila Karki on her appointment as Nepal’s first female prime minister. Karki, 73, formally took office as interim prime minister on Sunday after days of anti-corruptions protests left at least 72 people dead, toppled the government, and saw several government buildings and politicians’ homes destroyed.
The authorities in Nepal lifted a curfew in Kathmandu on 13 September as calm returned following the appoint of Karki, a former Supreme Court chief justice. Markets reopened and traffic returned in the capital and in the neighboring city’s of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.
“As you know, the Nepalese and Tibetan peoples have historically enjoyed a close relationship,” His Holiness wrote in a letter dated 13 September. “I am very grateful to the government and the people of Nepal for providing facilities for the rehabilitation of Tibetan refugees following their forced escape from Tibet after 1959. Indeed, although the Tibetan community is relatively small, I believe it has been making a notable contribution towards Nepal’s economic growth.
“Over the years, there has been significant development and increasing prosperity in Nepal in all spheres of life. Such achievements are all the more meaningful when they really improve the lives of poor and needy people.”
His Holiness concluded: “I wish you every success in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of Nepal in these challenging times. With my prayers and good wishes.” (His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet)
Two days of mass demonstrations—dubbed the “Gen Z protests”—began on 8 September, initially sparked by a short-lived government ban on social media platforms, but were sustained by deep-seated public anger over widespread government corruption, nepotism, and extravagant displays of wealth by officials and their families.
As the Gen Z protests grew, the movement expanded to encompass broader complaints over a lack of political governance, transparency, and accountability. Protests were held throughout the country, marked by violence against public officials and vandalism of government buildings.
The ensuing two days saw widespread unrest and violence in the capital, during which tens of thousands of protesters set fire to the parliament building and the offices of the prime minister, along with offices of the president, the supreme court, key government ministries and several police stations, while several politicians’ homes were vandalized.
Former prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli resigned on 9 September, fleeing his official residence, along with several ministers.
Many of the at least 72 dead were shot, with police accused of opening fire on the crowds of young people. Other fatalities were attributed to fires or confrontations with police. Three police officers also were reported to be among the dead. In addition to the fatalities, more than 1,000 people were reported injured in the two days of unrest. The number of casualties could rise as clean-up work continues.
According to international media reports, Nepal’s police have promised an investigation into what took place during the protests, with no clarity yet on who ordered security forces to open fire on the protesters.
Calm was restored after the military took control of the streets. Negotiations between protest leaders, the military, and the president then began over who should lead an interim government. Following a virtual poll among protestors on Discord, a US-based free messaging platform, Karki was chosen from a shortlist of five people that included social activists and an independent politician.
Karki, who has pledged to hand over power within six months, has vowed to get the Himalayan nation back on track, remarking, “We all need to get together to rebuild the country,” (Politico)
In her first public comments on Sunday, Karki also promised to work “according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation.” (Al Jazeera)
“What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality,” she noted. (Al Jazeera)
On Monday, the new prime minister swore in three new ministers, appointing Om Prakash Aryal, a human rights lawyer, as home minister; Rameshwar Prasad Khanal, a former finance secretary, as finance minister; and Kulman Ghising, a former state power utility chief, as energy minister. All three are known for their anti-corruption stances.
Although home to a multicultural society and is widely recognized as the birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha, Nepal is a predominantly Hindu nation, with 81.2 per cent of the population expressing an affiliation with Hinduism, according to census data for 2021. Buddhists make up the second largest segment of the population at 8.21 per cent and Muslims represent 5.09 percent. The remainder is comprised of followers of Kirat Mundhum (3.17 per cent), Christianity (1.76 per cent), Prakriti (0.35 per cent), Bon (0.23 per cent),
Sikhism (0.01 per cent), and Jainism (0.01 per cent).
See more
Congratulating the New Prime Minister of Nepal (His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet)
Nepal gets first female PM after deadly unrest (BBC News)
Shot dead for protesting against corruption in Nepal (BBC News)
Nepal’s PM Karki appoints ministers after deadly Gen Z protests (Al Jazeera)
‘More egalitarian’: How Nepal’s Gen Z used gaming app Discord to pick PM (Al Jazeera)
After deadly protests, Nepal’s new prime minister urges calm (Politico)
Curfew is lifted and calm returns to Nepal in wake of mass protests that killed at least 51 people (AP)
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