HIMALAYAN POWER SHIFT

It took just days for Nepal’s youth to bring the government to its knees. Kathmandu burned, the army stood aside and the monarchy’s shadows reappeared. For the first time in decades, an assertive generation believes it has the power to reshape the country’s future, forcing interim prime minister Sushila Karki to reckon with their demands

- BADAR BASHIR

A week after Nepal was engulfed in flames, the Himalayan nation and its capital Kathmandu are slowly returning to a semblance of normality. The smoke has cleared but the scars remain. The Singha Durbar, once the opulent seat of power, stands charred and hollow, its elegant chandeliers, ornate staircases and balustrades damaged beyond repair. In those frenzied hours mobs stormed the parliament and surrounding ministries, setting ablaze the symbols of state power. Even the supreme court was not spared.

Old and young Nepalese, including schoolchildren, have long understood their country's corrupt political structures. What finally stirred a revolution was not a charismatic leader or a revolutionary manifesto, but social media posts showing the nepo kids—rich children of corrupt politicians—flaunting their wealth and exposing the economic divide plaguing Nepal. Weeks of growing frustration led to a campaign against corruption on social media, mostly initiated by Gen Z groups. One of the prominent groups, Hami Nepal, says it began the campaign earlier. Blood, fire and chaos followed soon after Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's government banned several social media platforms. The government then instructed police to deal strictly with protesters.

Three major grievances perhaps sounded the death knell for the Oli government: rampant corruption, the social media ban and the use of brute force by police against mostly peaceful protesters. These sparked mobs who burned down the most protected sites in Kathmandu.

The entire political ecosystem was toppled in what many are calling a “flash revolution”, remarkable both because it came from an unexpected section of society, those under 30, and because it ended almost as soon as it began.