Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki addresses the nation amid unrest following Gen Z protests and the collapse of Oli’s government (Photo: X | @unwomennepal)
In the deadly Gen Z protests that rocked Nepal this month, the newly installed interim government under Prime Minister Sushila Karki has constituted a high-level investigation committee. This three-member panel will be chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Gauri Bahadur Karki and tasked to probe the events of violence and state response that saw 72 people left dead and three of whom were police officers.
The committee also includes former Additional Inspector General of Police Bigyan Ran Sharma and legal scholar Bishweshwor Prasad Bhandari. Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, speaking to the media from the Singha Durbar Secretariat, confirmed the committee has been formed and added that it should submit its findings within three months.
Mobilizing youths in more than thrice the numbers never seen before in Nepal, Gen Z insisted on an independent inquiry into killings during protests on the 8 and 9 of September that brought down the K.P. Sharma Oli government.
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On Saturday, tension increased when Gen Z leaders openly called for the arrest of former Prime Minister Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. They are said to have a direct role in issuing orders for a brutal crackdown on demonstrators that claimed the lives of at least 19 during a single incident of firing.
The previous government denial and repression of dissent was cited some social media censorship and widespread debt corruption for inciting protests nationwide. It is likely these factors will create a very high degree of expectation and give the new government under test for credibility and commitment to justice.
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Prime Minister Karki also expanded her cabinet that day by appointing five other ministers to take the total composition of her burgeoning cabinet to nine. Among the conditions under which the appointments were made is the endorsement of President Ramchandra Paudel, who approved the appointments upon the recommendation of Karki.
All five ministers are expected to take their oaths at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday.
At 73, Sushila Karki became the interim prime minister of Nepal on September 12 after the political turmoil that removed the Oli government. She will have to lead the transitional government until the general elections scheduled for March 5, 2026. The following weeks will be the perfect judgment for her leadership to either build stability or restore the people's trust in Nepal's democratic institutions.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only Official details may change.
