These images were imprinted in the world’s memory in just 72 hours, leaving both in awe and awe at what was happening. Nepal in September 2025. Parliament House was set on fire in Kathmandu. The Prime Minister’s residence was looted and set on fire. Military helicopters were seen evacuating ministers from besieged houses.
All of this was sparked by the immediate, banning of Instagram; However the fuel was popular dissatisfaction with the elite class entrenched for years. The protesters were mostly fromgeneration z‘, a pop-culture name for people barely 30 or younger, born between approximately 1997 and 2012
And, at the end of it all, a 73-year-old former judge – who later recalled his days studying peacefully on the banks of the river Ganges – was chosen to lead the country.
Sushila Karki was Sworn in as the 42nd Prime Minister of Nepal On September 12, 2025, she became the first woman to hold the office in the history of the Himalayan Republic. The former Chief Justice of Nepal, she became Nepal’s leader as a direct result of the country’s most violent political unrest in a generation.
Their rise was inspired by Discord and they decided on Discord, a gaming-communications platform later named after Discord.
Read also | Social media at the center of the Gen-Z revolution that toppled Nepal’s government
ban that fuse burnt
The fire may have been smoldering for years, given Nepal’s long-term political instability: 14 governments in 17 years under eight different prime ministers since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. Corruption was endemic. Youth unemployment was around 20%, and the government estimated that more than 2,000 young Nepalese were leaving the country every day in search of work abroad.
Then, on September 4, 2025, PM KP Sharma Oli’s government suspended 26 social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and X, for failing to register with Nepali authorities under a controversial new digital law.
By the morning of 8 September, thousands of young protesters, many still in school uniform, gathered in Maitighar Mandla in central Kathmandu and marched towards Parliament. Their complaints were far broader than a law or social lifeline Instagram.
They raised slogans against corruption, nepotism, the so-called “Napo Kids”, children of ruling class politicians who flaunt lavish lifestyles on social media, while the platforms were being blocked for ordinary citizens.
Analysts said the Oli regime banned social media to prevent all group conversations about nepotism, among other reasons. The ban brought groups and conversations out into the street.
The government responded and security forces opened fire on the crowd, killing 17 protesters in Kathmandu alone. Two more people were killed in police action outside the capital; Hundreds were injured. Doctors at the Kathmandu mortuary, where they received 47 bodies over two days, determined that most of them died from blunt force gunshot wounds to the head, neck, chest or abdomen.
The killings were recorded in real time on social networks after the ban was lifted late. By then it had turned into fire.
Next day, kathmandu burnt down – Parliament House, Supreme Court complex, residences of the Prime Minister and the President, police station, headquarters of KP Oli’s Communist Party were targeted.
By the time the army imposed a nationwide curfew on 10 September, more than 70 people were dead and more than 2,000 were injured. Nepal’s $42 billion economy was later estimated by a government panel at a loss of more than $586 million.
Earlier, on September 9, under the alleged persuasion of Nepal Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel, KP Oli had submitted his resignation from the post of PM to President Ramchandra Paudel. “In view of the extraordinary situation in the country, I have resigned to facilitate the resolution of the problem,” he wrote.
A septuagenarian as a leader of discord, military, and Gen-Z
It was not the end of Nepal’s most violent and difficult period since the Maoist civil war, in which Oli and others like insurgency leader Prachanda emerged as mainstream politicians.
The organization at the center of the protests, Hami Nepal, convened a virtual meeting on the messaging application Discord – a forum originally designed for gamers – in which an estimated 10,000 Nepalis, including members of the diaspora spread across the world, debated and voted on who should lead their country.
Sushila Karki’s name appeared in the shortlist of five candidates. General Sigdel served as an important bridge between the Gen-Z leadership, the Office of the President, and political parties, and resolved sharp disagreements over the constitutional mechanism by which Karki could be appointed.
On 12 September, President Paudel dissolved the 275-seat Parliament on Karki’s recommendation, and administered the oath of office in a ceremony at the presidential residence, Sheetal Niwas, attended by youth delegates, foreign diplomats and UN officials.
The date of the next election was later announced as March 21, 2026. From a procedural point of view, if Oli’s government had completed its term, it would have been two years before the scheduled elections.
Read this also Sushila Karki’s journey from the first woman Chief Justice of Nepal to the first woman PM
Commentators did not notice the contradiction in Sushila Karki’s leadership.
A movement that had complained loudly about the generation gap between itself and Nepal’s aging rulers had chosen a 73-year-old to lead its revolution. But Anish Ghimire, a journalist who was 24 at the time, explained to Al Jazeera: “People wanted someone they could trust, someone they could respect. I think the bigger picture is that Gen-Z protesters rallied behind septuagenarian Sushila Karki, because even in her first statements to the press, her image as Nepal’s first female chief justice was a symbol of integrity and resistance against corruption. Was.”
judge who will not be bought
He was probably referring to Karki’s biography. Born on 7 June 1952 in Biratnagar in eastern Nepal, she was the eldest of seven children. He earned a master’s degree in political science from Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India in 1975, before returning to Nepal to study law at Tribhuvan University and then started practice in Biratnagar in 1979.
She joined the People’s Movement against the absolute monarchy of Nepal in 1990 and for this she was imprisoned in Biratnagar jail for some time. That experience later inspired his 2019 novel, ‘Kara’ (Prison).
She rose in the judiciary for decades and in July 2016 made history as the first woman to be appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal.
His tenure was short and full of turmoil. When the Supreme Court overturned the government’s appointment of a favored police chief and replaced him with the highest-ranking officer, Parliament responded with an impeachment motion Widely described as “politically motivated”. At the time the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the attempt to remove him raised “serious concerns about the government’s commitment to transitional justice and the rule of law”.
Ultimately the proposal was withdrawn under public pressure. Karki retired in June 2017. It was really the history and reputation that made them The unlikely hero of the Gen-Z movement.
In her first public comment after being sworn in, Karki said, “I came to this post not because I demanded it, but because voices were coming from the streets that Sushila Karki should be given this responsibility.”
In one of his most definitive statements to diplomats about his role in October 2025, Karki said, “This non-political, transitional government has a sole and non-negotiable mandate: to hold free, fair and impartial general elections for the House of Representatives on March 5, 2026. We are committed to a maximum term of six months, after which we will peacefully hand over power to a democratically elected government. “Not to push an agenda, but for the sake of it.” “Pave the way for a new, legitimate path.”
Bharat Connection
Karki’s appointment was immediately welcomed with warmth in Nepal’s closest cultural neighbor India, which has faced some hostility from Kathmandu and some sections of Nepalese over the years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in Parliament, congratulated Karki and described her appointment as “a shining example of women empowerment”.
In an interview before his swearing-in, Karki spoke in both English and Hindi about his affection for India. Addressing Modi directly, she said, “Indians treat me like a sister. I am very impressed by Indian leaders.”I salute Modi ji.” (“I say hello to Mr. Modi”).
He remembered Ganga fondly; B.H.U. His hostel was located by the river, and he and his companions slept on the terrace during summer nights. “I still remember my teachers and friends,” he said.
On 18 September, in a formal telephone conversation between the two Prime Ministers, Karki reiterated that the elections are his government’s top priority, and the historic relations between Nepal and India “continues to be strengthened Through multidimensional people-to-people relationships”.
In the following months, India saw a different kind of relationship with Nepal – one related to The specter of Gen-Z rebellion. Political protests in Ladakh, Assam and Delhi were termed by police and government agencies as “attempted Nepal-like protests”. Activist Sonam Wangchuk He is in jail from Ladakh.
Transition under Karki, and Bangladesh comparison
Karki immediately declared those killed in the protests as “martyrs”; Met injured protesters in hospitals; And announced compensation.
His cabinet included reformist figures. He established a judicial inquiry commission to investigate the killings and destruction of public property and created a reconstruction fund to rebuild government infrastructure.
Now with the elections taking place, a serious fact has again come into limelight. Nepal has not completed a full five-year government term since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. Many old players like Ollie remain in the mix. And young leaders like Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah are being seen as the future. Thus, change is still in progress.
This is very different from bangladeshAnother South Asian nation that had seen a Gen-Z rebellion a year before that. There, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death, while she has exiled herself to New Delhi, and her party is banned from the just-held elections. his long time rival Khaleda Zia’s son tariq rehman Now he is the PM of Bangladeshand interim leader Muhammad Yunus Considers his work completed.
Under Karki’s leadership, Nepal chose a more liberal path instead of sanctions and death penalty. Therefore, the election results may also test that methodology.
‘Anarchy does not bring happiness’
Addressing the doubts at an all-party meeting, Karki had said, “We should not think about whether the elections will take place or not; let us think about how to make it a success. If all 126 parties are united in their resolve, no one can disrupt the elections.”
And as he completed 100 days in office, he talked about a long-term future. He said, “Anarchy does not bring happiness. Only peace and stability opens the door to prosperity. The change we seek is not an achievement that can be accomplished in a day; it is a long and tireless journey.”
