Three newly appointed ministers in Nepal’s Sushila Karki-led interim government were sworn in at the presidential residence, Sheetal Niwas, on Monday afternoon.
The ministers shared their initial impressions upon assuming office, particularly noting the damaged state of several areas within Singha Durbar that looked like a war zone, the urgent need to prioritise the agenda set by Nepal’s Gen Z — especially the call for a corruption-free government. Discussions are also reportedly underway to declare a national day of mourning, though further details remain pending.
Nepal president Ram Chandra Paddle administered the oath to the three new ministers — Om Prakash Aryal as minister of home and legal affairs, Rajeshore Khanal as the finance minister and Kulwant Ghising as the minister for transport, urban planning and physical infrastructure. An official in the president’s office said the interim government is yet to send the names of other ministers for appointment.
Aryal was a legal advisor to Kathmandu Metropolitan, Khanal is a former finance secretary with experience of serving in senior government roles at different ministries while Ghising was the former CEO of Nepal Electricity Authority.
At a press briefing, Khanal said that when he assumed office in the Singha Durbar on Monday the offices looked like a war zone and a scene straight from the movies. Khanal also said that the country’s Gen Z had brought about the change for which they have to build a corruption free country soon.
The interim Karki government’s first challenge is likely to be a smooth and peaceful mass funeral procession of at least 10 students whose bodies will be taken across the city and marched as “martyrs” on Tuesday. Karki had on Sunday said that the government had decided to declare the deceased students as “martyrs”.
The funeral procession of the 10 bodies from the TU Teaching hospital to the ghats of the Pashupatinath temple that was earlier scheduled for Monday was postponed to Tuesday.
Chandra Bahadur Saru, father of Madhav Saru, 20, one of the students killed in police firing, said that the authorities told the families they require some more time to make the arrangements. “Many families of the deceased who were from far off places took the bodies back this morning after yesterday’s press conference by the prime minister. There are 12 families who will carry a joint funeral march across Kathmandu tomorrow. The Army said they are making the arrangements.”
Meanwhile, Khanal spoke about the Gen Z protesters. He said, “The youth have sacrificed their lives in this agitation for a corruption free Nepal. Even unknowingly, we should not be wasting the money and put every penny to good use. Action will be taken against those who err and indulge in such wastage of public money. This is not my personal agenda. This is a responsibility that Gen Z has trusted us with. It is a national agenda. In a meeting with them they said they have entrusted this responsibility. They believe that corruption has to be weeded out from this country.”
Khanal said that when he saw the burnt offices in Singha Durbar after taking charge, the places looked like a war zone often seen in movies. “As a government servant, I was there for 31 years and now 15 years have passed. In these 46 years, I have never seen Singha Durbar like this. It looked like a war zone seen in movies and documentaries. We have started work to clean the offices and are rising like the phoenix. A lot of government property has been destroyed too.”
Ghising, in-charge of three ministries, said the country is going through a challenging time and sought help and contribution from every citizen to rebuild it. “We will require the help of every Nepalese citizen in the country and board to rebuild Nepal. For rebuilding the country, a specific post will also be created after approval from the finance ministry through the cabinet. I request all the citizens to contribute whatever they can in rebuilding all the property that was damaged in the protests. I will assure that the money will be put to good use.”
Meanwhile senior advocate Aryal, now the country’s home minister, said, “There will be fair elections for which the government of the day should play the role of a mother. This is why we have got a leader like Sushila Karki and the ministers in the cabinet should also follow her path…There are talks to declare a day of mourning for what has happened.”
