Nepal's government has had a chaotic stretch, and it matters to anyone planning a trip there right now. Prime Minister Balendra Shah's office dismissed Inspector General of Police Dan Bahadur Karki on Wednesday — or, in the government's preferred framing, 'gave him a new responsibility' as the PM's security adviser, as Education Minister and spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel awkwardly put it. Manoj KC, long the Prime Minister's favoured choice, now leads the police force, taking over an investigation into the fake refugee scandal that reached the top levels of government two years ago.
The firing capped a week of crises for the Prime Minister's Office. Leaks exposed the government's plan to replace Karki, along with correspondence between Supreme Court Justice Hari Phuyal and political fixer Inam Sapkota suggesting political interference in the judiciary. Things got murkier when it emerged that the PM's adviser Kumar (Ben) Byanjankar had been in conversation with Sapkota himself, and had held Sapkota's personal phone for up to 48 hours before police obtained it.
Karki reportedly fell out of favour after resisting direct instructions from the Prime Minister to detain businessmen, politicians and even former Chief Justice Cholendra Rana without due process. But that is only part of the picture. In a move described by Nepali Times as amounting to virtual kidnapping, senior officials from the Department of Irrigation were held by police, taken to the PMO for hostile questioning, and pressed into cancelling a tender for the long-delayed Sunkosi Marin Diversion Project — a scheme meant to irrigate Tarai farmland and generate 28MW of electricity.
Underneath these incidents sits a deeper rift inside the ruling RSP. Party chair Rabi Lamichhane leads an establishment faction increasingly at odds with Shah, whose impulsive style leaves ministers reportedly learning of government decisions from the news media. The paper also reports that an adviser allegedly keeps a blacklist of 28 journalists critical of the government, and that the PM's unelected inner circle now wields sway over intelligence and security bodies.
So why should travellers care? Nepal has seen periodic political turbulence before, and it rarely disrupts tourism directly — trekking permits, flights and visas continue as normal. But the atmosphere matters: a government elected on an anti-corruption platform that now faces allegations of abusing state institutions, detaining critics and targeting journalists raises questions about press freedom and the treatment of dissent, both relevant to anyone reporting, working or travelling independently in the country. The timing is also notable — the turmoil comes just ahead of a proposed official visit to New Delhi later this month, which could shape Nepal's regional relationships.
For now, visitors should keep an eye on the news rather than change plans. Demonstrations in Kathmandu occasionally follow political crises, so it is sensible to avoid large gatherings in the capital, monitor local reporting, and leave extra time for airport transfers if protests coincide with travel days.
Shristi Karki, Nepali Times
