Banks in Kathmandu and the Supreme Court of Nepal will reopen gradually after being severely damaged during Gen Z-led protests that claimed 34 lives. Additionally, markets were briefly able to reopen due to curfew relaxations; nevertheless, public transportation is still prohibited until the army imposes new restrictions. About 54 prisoners who broke out of Chitwan’s Bharatpur Jail have voluntarily returned. According to Ravindra Dhungana, chief of Chitwan District Jail, the escapees have started to turn themselves in gradually, many of them after getting calls pleading with them to come back. On Wednesday, the mood was different. Everyone ran away. Perhaps realizing that the government won’t abandon them where they are, people are now returning,” Dhungana said.
A social media ban that has since been removed served as the immediate catalyst for the protests, but complaints had been brewing in Nepal for some time, particularly in relation to the political leadership’s alleged corruption. In the first half of FY25 (H1FY25), Nepal’s economic development quickened, according to a World Bank assessment. In H1FY25, real GDP increased by 4.9 percent, compared to 4.3 percent in H1FY24. But the whole picture is not shown by this figure. Inequality is high, job creation is sluggish, and many young people are leaving the nation as a result of natural disasters and climate vulnerability. On Tuesday, “Gen Z” activists, who were supposedly incensed by the K P Sharma Oli regime’s oppressive policies, set fire to government buildings, the headquarters of major political parties, and the residences and workplaces of prominent political figures, including a number of past prime ministers.
President Ram Chandra Poudel has stressed that any solution to the situation must be found within the parameters of the current Constitution, leaving Nepal’s attempts to establish an interim administration enmeshed in ambiguity. His statements go counter to those https://adhigyan.com/wp-admin/media-upload.php?post_id=339&type=image&TB_iframe=1of General Ashok Raj Sigdel, the head of the Nepal Army, who convinced Sushila Karki to accept the position of interim chief executive with the support of some protest groups from Generation Z. However, there are further obstacles because retired justices are prohibited from assuming constitutional or political office by Nepal’s Constitution. Major parties including the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), Maoist Center, and Madesh-based organizations have endorsed Poudel’s position, indicating that the matter will likely return to Parliament, where Oli’s alliance still controls a majority. Political polarization has increased as a result of Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah’s outspoken support for dissolving Parliament and supporting Karki’s interim administration, while the Gen Z movement is still fragmented and lacks formal leadership.