Nepal Protesters Back Ex-Chief Justice Karki for Interim Leadership
Army consults Gen Z protesters after violent unrest forces Prime Minister’s ouster
- Gen Z protesters propose former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim leader.
- Army Chief Gen. Ashok Raj Sigdel held talks with protest representatives.
- Protests ousted Nepal’s Prime Minister after deadly violence and parliament fire.
- Discord meetings reveal divisions within the decentralised Gen Z movement.
- At least 19 killed in crackdown; army patrols continue in Kathmandu.
GG News Bureau
Kathmandu, 11th Sept: Nepal’s former Chief Justice Sushila Karki has emerged as the leading choice to head an interim government, representatives of the “Gen Z” protest movement said on Thursday, following violent demonstrations that forced the resignation of the Prime Minister earlier this week.
Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel held consultations with stakeholders, including representatives of the protesters, on Wednesday. A military spokesperson confirmed the meeting but did not provide further details.
Rakshya Bam, one of the protest representatives present, said, “Right now, Sushila Karki’s name is coming up to lead the interim government — we are now waiting for the President to make a move. We discussed with the army chief about the future, about how we can move forward while maintaining peace and security.”
Karki, 73, Nepal’s first female Chief Justice, told AFP that “experts need to come together to figure out the way forward” and emphasised that “the parliament still stands.”
However, divisions remain within the protest movement. In a virtual meeting on Discord attended by thousands, young participants debated who should represent them. Journalist Pranaya Rana noted, “It is natural in a decentralised movement like this that there are going to be competing interests and competing voices.”
The unrest — the worst in two decades — left parliament in flames and at least 19 people dead in a violent crackdown on Tuesday. Soldiers continued patrolling the capital for a second consecutive day on Thursday, with checkpoints set up across Kathmandu.
The protests began on Monday against a government ban on social media and rising corruption but quickly escalated into nationwide demonstrations, culminating in the Prime Minister’s ouster.
