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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has underlined the need of developing Nepal as a hub for higher education.

In his address to the ninth Senate of the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences here today, the Prime Minister said he is clear that Nepal should be established as a hub for higher studies.

On the occasion, the PM said he is happy to hear that Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS) is welcoming students from outside the country.  

He also expressed his hope that the Academy will gain new height ahead and it is rendering direct health services to the citizens of geographically backward communities in the Karnali and Far Western provinces.  "In addition to this, it has contributed to the production of a skilled health workforce."

"The KAHS is significantly working with a full sense of responsibility and preparedness in each health crisis either it was COVID-19 crisis, or during the earthquake," he said.

According to the Prime Minister, it is the responsibility of KAHS to further strengthen the quality of its services, making it wider accessible. The graduates of KAHS should be additionally competitive and skilled who could serve the nation with a high sense of integrity.

Stating that the Academy had significantly made great strides in recent years, PM Dahal expressed his confidence that the Academy would take serious initiatives for innovation-based studies, research and invention.

Karnali should take special initiatives for medicine production

Addressing the Senate of the Academy, PM Dahal suggested that the Academy should take special initiatives in medicine production by optimally utilizing the natural resources and heritages.

He also directed the Academy to undertake necessary homework for medicine production. Lauding the Academy for delivering well in spite of resource constraints, the PM pledged his support to the plan to tap the tremendous potential of Karnali in the coming days.

"There are problems such as inconvenience of roads, lack of skilled doctors and technicians which have created challenges in production of skilled human resources and service delivery. Appropriate initiatives will be taken by the government to address it in coming days," the Head of the Government said.

Stating that he was aware about the concerns and demands of the doctors, technicians and staff at the Academy, PM Dahal assured, "I assure you that your demands will be addressed gradually."

Nepal has asked Russia to send back hundreds of Nepali nationals who were recruited to fight against Ukraine and repatriate the bodies of those who died in the conflict, Nepal’s top diplomat said Thursday.

The Russian army is estimated to have recruited more than 200 Nepali nationals to fight in Ukraine and at least 14 of them have died there, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“We have asked Russia to immediately stop the recruitment of Nepali nationals in their army, immediately return those who are already serving in the army, repatriate the bodies of those killed, and treat and return those who were wounded in the fighting,” Saud said.

Nepal is also seeking monetary compensation from Russia for the families of those Nepali nationals who were killed in the fighting, Saud said.

Among the 14 confirmed killed Nepali nationals, Russia has said it is in possession of 12 bodies. Most Nepali people want the bodies of their deceased relatives to be cremated following religious rituals.

“We have information that five of our citizens who fought on behalf of the Russians are being held captive by the Ukraine side. We are asking the Russian side to take initiatives to get them freed,” Saud said.

Russian officials have not commented on the recruitment of foreign nationals for military service in Ukraine, but media reports have said that along with Nepal the Russian military has recruited some people from Cuba.

Russian law allows foreign nationals to enlist in its army after they sign a contract with the Defense Ministry.

In September, Cuban authorities arrested 17 people in connection with what they said was a network to recruit Cuban nationals to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that speeds up a path to Russian citizenship for foreigners who enlist in the country’s military as Moscow tries to replenish its troops in Ukraine by various methods, including the recruitment of migrants.

Ukraine is also believed to have hired some Nepalis to fight as soldiers, but Saud said he did not have more information on this.

Nepal’s government has banned its citizens from traveling to Russia or Ukraine for employment, saying many have been recruited by the Russian army to fight in the conflict in Ukraine.

Tens of thousands of Nepalis go abroad in search of work each year and are required to get a permit from the government before leaving the country for employment.

Saud met with Russian officials on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement conference in Uganda earlier this month and discussed the issues with them.

For centuries, Nepali nationals were recruited by the British army to fight as famed Gurkha soldiers and later by India when it gained independence from Britain. That arrangement was made in 1816 after signing a treaty between Nepal and Britain.  AP

Champa Devi Karki of CPN (Maoist Center) was almost sure to win the National Assembly election as one of the ruling coalition candidates from Koshi province. But she lost the Jan 25 vote to CPN-UML candidate Rukmini Koirala. 

Maoist leaders now claim that Karki lost because of the betrayal of trust by the Nepali Congress. They say although the Maoist party voted for NC candidate Krishna Prasad Sitaula, there was a significant crossing of the floor  by the NC voters. 

Though the Maoists emerged as the largest party in the NA after the election held to select 19 upper house members, the party is unhappy with the poll outcome from Koshi.

It is said that NC senior leader Shekhar Koirala, who is earnestly working to break the Maoist-Congress alliance, influenced the voting pattern of the NC. Earlier, the Koirala faction had switched to the UML to elect Kedar Bahadur Karki as chief minister after NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba fielded his candidate. It was later revealed that there was a secret understanding between Koirala and Deuba in the appointment of chief minister, which miffed the Maoist party. 

That was the first instance which sowed the seed of discord inside the ruling coalition. The latest election betrayal in Koshi province has deepened the mistrust between the Maoists and NC.  

"We have reached a point where we have to seriously review our alliance with the Nepali Congress,” says Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun. “In every election, we have been voting for NC candidates, and in return, we are being betrayed. The Koshi province election has forced us to think whether the current coalition is beneficial for us.”  

What happened in Koshi province is not the only reason why the Maoist and NC are growing apart. It began with the arrest of senior NC leader and former home minister Bal Krishna Khand in the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal.

Many NC leaders suspect that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Maoist Center is weaponing corruption scandals against the NC leaders while overlooking the misdeeds of the leaders within his own party. 

NC senior leader Koirala has always been vocal about changing the current coalition and forging an alliance with the UML. Of late, more and more leaders are joining the chorus. They want to remove Dahal from power because they feel that his government has not been good to the NC. Even though the Maoist Center has only 32 seats in the House of Representatives, making it the third largest party, NC leaders believe the Maoist party is becoming overbearing in the government affairs — even bullying the NC and UML by opening investigation into past corruption scandals involving their leaders.   

Meanwhile, the Maoist leaders claim it is the NC that has been dictating the government’s decision-making process including in the foreign policy realm. A senior Maoist leader says the NC has tied the hands of Prime Minister Dahal, so that he is unable to make independent decisions. 

The Maoist party is particularly displeased with Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud from the NC. “The Foreign Minister has failed to strike a balance among the three major powers because he and his party are biased towards India and the US.” 

During his China visit, Prime Minister Dahal made some commitments regarding the Belt and Road Initiatives and other projects, but there has been little to no follow through on those pledges. The Maoists blame the NC-led Foreign Ministry for this. 

Maoist leaders say Prime Minister Dahal wants to sign the BRI implementation plan at the earliest, but the foreign minister has not been cooperative.  

Some NC leaders believe that the only reason the NC-Maoist coalition has not fallen through is because Deuba wants to ensure a smooth transfer of power. They say the party president is of the belief that he can get to power only if Dahal is allowed to remain in power for two and a half years. 

Though there are strong voices inside the NC that the party should not forge an electoral alliance with Maoists in the next general elections, Deuba is of the view that without an alliance the NC alone cannot maintain the status of the largest party. 

However, Deuba does not see the similar prospect in forging an alliance with the UML. He is of the view that there cannot be an electoral partnership between first and second parties. The NC regards the UML, which has a strong organizational base, as a key election rival. 

In the past, the UML had even reached out to the NC, proposing an alliance deal between the two parties to ensure the government’s stability until the next elections. But Deuba was not keen to talk with the UML. 

As the Maoist-NC coalition teeters on the brink, the UML watches from the sidelines. UML Chairman Oli, who had previously made his mission to win a single party majority in the 2027 general elections, has been hinting at mid-term elections in recent days. Oli senses the simmering tension within the ruling coalition.

Prime Minister Dahal is likely to face more political challenges from his own coalition partner and the opposition in the days ahead. The UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party are already planning to hit the streets against the government. The last thing Dahal wants is an unruly coalition. 

Various trade unions have demanded action against those police personnel who assaulted immigration officials at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Issuing a joint statement on Sunday, the trade unions demanded that the government take action against them within three days.

The police personnel had assaulted immigration officials during the security check at the ‘walk through’.

The trade unions showed their displeasure saying that the employees are becoming unsafe from police.

They have warned to halt all the services across the country including at the Tribhuvan International Airport if the guilty are not taken action.

“We will be forced to halt services at all the offices including at the Tribhuvan International Airport immigration office if the police personnel involved in the incident are not taken action within three days. We will also be compelled to announce the phase-wise protest programs,” the statement reads.

The trade unions have also condemned the incident where police personnel, who were deployed to protect the people, attacked the officials who were providing services at the workplace.

Chairperson of Nepal Civil Service Organization, Nepal Civil Servants Union, Nepal National Employees Organization, Integrated Government Employees Organization and Nepal Madhesi Civil Servants Forum among others mounted pressure on the government by submitting a joint memorandum.