Kathmandu, September 11 (HS): Nepal’s opposition party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), led by ousted Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, has broken its silence on the recent wave of protests and violent incidents that shook the country earlier this week. In a formal statement issued on Thursday, party General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel condemned the large-scale destruction of public and private property and demanded stringent legal action against those responsible.

Expressing sympathy for the families of those killed in the unrest and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, the UML termed the demonstrations that erupted on Monday and Tuesday deeply concerning. Pokhrel acknowledged that the protests were fueled by frustration over social media restrictions, calls for anti-corruption measures, demands for good governance, and youth employment opportunities.

The party described the nationwide scenes of arson, looting, and violence as “tragic,” stressing that attacks on Parliament, the President’s Office, Singha Durbar, the Supreme Court, constitutional bodies, airports, police stations, and even rare archival records, had left devastation from which the nation would struggle to recover for decades.

The UML also raised serious questions over what it called a “delayed and inadequate response” by Nepal’s security agencies, including the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the Nepal Army. Pokhrel urged party cadres to maintain unity, high morale, and to assist in cleaning destroyed offices and public spaces, promote social harmony, and support affected citizens.

Following Oli’s resignation, the party underscored the pressing need for a constitutional and democratic resolution to Nepal’s political crisis. It appealed to the President to engage in meaningful dialogue to address public grievances, specifically tackling corruption, nepotism, governance failures, and unemployment. The UML also called upon federal parliament, judiciary, provincial assemblies, provincial governments, and local bodies to play a constructive role in safeguarding democracy.

Highlighting the extraordinary nature of the crisis, the party emphasized the importance of coordination and understanding among pro-constitution forces to stabilize the country.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar