Need for reappraisal of overthrowing of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal governments like houses of cards

The recent unprecedented events in Nepal underscored the need for a reappraisal of developments in (2020), (2022) well as Bangladesh (2024).

- SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO

The change of governments in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal revealed intensification of external interventions under various pretexts. Some have pointed the finger at the US for causing regime change. Of the four instances, the overthrowing of Nepal government is the first since the last presidential election that brought back Donald Trump into power for a second term last January The collapse of Premier K.P. Sharma Oli's government, within 48 hours, as the Army turned a blind eye to unprecedented developments, and the election of Nepal's former Chief Justice, Sushila Karki, highlighted the overall failure of those responsible for the law and order situation. Oli's administration appeared to have totally ignored the Pakistani and Sri Lanka crises in 2020 and 2022 hence the absence of any strategy, whatsoever, to meet the challenge.

The media credited Generation Z with the operation that caused the downfall of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). Interested parties justified the high profile and utterly violent operation on the banning of 26 major social media platforms, citing noncompliance with registration requirements.

The way well-organised Nepali protesters overwhelmed the lightly armed police, guarding Parliament, and set it ablaze, exposed the lie that people took to the streets, spontaneously, against the ban on social media platforms. The destruction of Parliament took place in spite of Premier Oli having given up office, after having lifted the ban on social media. They also attacked the Supreme Court and Prime Minister's office complex. Obviously, there was a hand working, not so mysteriously, from behind the scene, as we saw in Sri Lanka. For example, in our case someone even paid for train tickets for a packed train load of protesters to come to Colombo from Kandy to storm the Presidential palace, with others who were already here, on May 22, 2022.