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The promise of inclusion has become a cruel irony for many in Nepal. While opportunities are carved out for certain groups, Bahun-Chhetris, despite their qualifications, are left with empty hands. Merit alone is worthless here. What matters is who you know and which power center you serve.

We invested our youth in education, sacrificing leisure, comfort, and opportunity – only to discover our degrees offer little value. What matters more than talent or qualifications is your proximity to power, your influence, or your ability to navigate the system. In that race, we are far behind. We focused on earning university degrees and working hard, believing that merit would be enough for success. But we never imagined that we would also need someone’s favor or backing. If we had known, perhaps we would have tried to curry favor with influential people along the way. We believed that with knowledge and competence, we could contribute meaningfully. But those things alone count for nothing. Only now do we understand why hundreds of thousands of young Nepalis leave for foreign countries each year. A few go by choice, but most leave because they feel they have no future here.

In today’s Nepal, there is no space for those who think ideally. Without using every possible means—money, influence, manipulation and favoritism—or without serving someone in power, it is hard to achieve anything. 

Today, one of my students said something that made me think deeply. “What kind of society are we living in?” “Is it one where merit matters, or one ruled by favoritism and nepotism?” “How many people actually get opportunities based purely on their abilities?” Perhaps my student was speaking out of frustration—or perhaps his words reflect a deeper truth shared by many young people.

I spent much of my life campaigning for gender equality and inclusion. I raised bold slogans, cited constitutional rights, international principles, and both national and global precedents. But somewhere along the way, I failed to see the hidden reality—I was unknowingly using those tools in ways that worked against my own community. While we pushed for inclusion for one group, we failed to notice how the other group’s participation was gradually being left behind.

I am not against equality or inclusion. Nor am I against the principles they represent. What I seek is the genuine implementation of these ideals in practice. But while voices are raised in support of inclusion for all, ours has somehow been lost in the process. 

Only now do I fully realize how simply because we belong to the so-called upper caste, we have become minorities in our own way—pushed so far behind that it is hard to even imagine rising again. I vividly remember how when I tried to move forward based on my academic credentials and years of experience, decision-makers told me I do not fall under any inclusive category. At the time, I didn’t question them. I didn’t realize that despite having qualifications and capability, I was denied simply because I wasn’t part of a preferred group or ideology. Only after going through repeated setbacks have I come to see the harsh truth.

I have no complaints against any individual or community. My issue is with those who, while publicly advocating for women's rights and shouting slogans of equality, privately cling to narrow and self-serving views. When such individuals attain power, they often hesitate to extend those rights to other deserving women. Who will ever hold them accountable for this double standard? Perhaps no one ever will.

There is a large segment of society that genuinely wants inclusion based on merit and commitment—not inequality disguised as equality. In the name of inclusion, the state has established countless commissions and structures, many of which are hard to sustain and harder still to justify. Those who frequently cry out that their class has always been oppressed, how many among them have truly benefited?  Except for a few who have received opportunities and benefits time and again, many do not even know about their real rights. 

Are we now to gain our rights only through labels and classifications? Must we continue to live as minorities in our own country—compelled to go abroad just to gain respect and a sense of identity? Is this the equality we envisioned? True equality does not mean uplifting one group at the cost of another. We are human beings too. We wish to live with equal dignity—not just in theory, but in reality.
Isn’t it time to change our mindset? Isn't it time to stop hiding behind caste, religion, tradition or ideology? Shouldn't we move forward to build a society where everyone—regardless of background—can live with dignity, freedom, and mutual respect, and build a civilized society? These are the questions weighing on my mind more and more these days.

Minister for Forests and Environment, Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, today addressed the plenary session of the Sagarmatha Sambaad that kicked off today. 

The session was   themed “Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity" where the Minister said ," Nepal, home to eight of the world’s fourteen highest mountains, bears a sacred responsibility to safeguard these natural sanctuaries."

Such mountains constitute part of what is often referred to as the “Third Pole”, a region that sustains one-fifth of humanity with freshwater, biodiversity, and spiritual vitality, he added. 

"These mountains are not only majestic, but they are also essential climate regulators, yet, they now stand on the frontline of a rapidly intensifying climate emergency," the Minister reminded the forum.

He went on to say that the Himalayan landscape is transforming before our eyes." Glaciers are retreating. Ecosystems are shifting. Traditional ways of life are being upended. This is not a local crisis, it is a global one."

Highlighting the severity of climate change impacts on the Himalayas, he said," from the Himalayas to the Andes, from the Alps to the Rockies, the world’s mountains are under siege. The vulnerability is shared from highlands to islands."

What begins in the mountains ripples downstream, affecting river basins, agricultural plains, and coastal ecosystems. Indeed, the fate of humanity is intertwined with the fate of these mountains, according to the Minister who apprised the session that climate indicators are surpassing alarming thresholds. 

According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2024 was the hottest in the past 175 years. The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report confirms that mountain regions are warming at twice the global average, he presented the facts. 

In the last three years, we’ve seen the largest glacier mass loss on record. Sea levels are rising faster than in the past two decades. Many of these changes are irreversible, he added. 

From retreating glaciers to increasing glacial lake outbursts, avalanches, floods, and shifting hydrological cycles, the consequences of climate change are widespread. The cryosphere is at risk like never before, threatening water security, food systems, and regional stability, the Minister said.  

 He further highlighted that "for Nepal, the stakes are especially dire. Our rugged topography itself amplifies our vulnerability.  Fragile ecosystems, steep terrain, and rain-fed agriculture heighten our susceptibility to climate-induced disasters." 

And it is the most vulnerable among us—smallholder farmers, women, indigenous communities, Dalits, children, and the elderly—who bear the heaviest burdens.

Despite our negligible contribution to carbon emissions, we face the full brunt of a climate crisis we did not cause. The costs for our socio-economic development are mounting. Climate change undermines our development aspirations, including our goal to graduate from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category and achieve developed country status by 2043. 

In 2023, Nepal’s per capita CO₂ emissions stood at just 0.57 tons, far below the global average of 6.76 tons, the Minister addressed the session, adding that our forests, covering nearly 46% of the country, act as vital carbon sinks and biodiversity havens. 

Even in the face of daunting challenges, Nepal remains resolute in its climate leadership. We have embraced a justice-centered approach, embedding climate action into national planning. Our enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) is dedicated to achieving net-zero emissions by 2045—five years ahead of the global target. 

Our National Climate Change Policy and National Adaptation Plan provide clear roadmaps to resilience, with sectoral strategies targeting agriculture, energy, water, infrastructure, and biodiversity.

Through a decentralized framework, local governments are empowered to spearhead climate action through Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPAs), ensuring the inclusion of women, indigenous peoples, and youth—voices that are vital yet often marginalized in climate discourse.

Nepal’s Community Forestry Program, largely led by women and indigenous communities, demonstrates how nature-based solutions can support both conservation and human development, he said. "Our approach is holistic - a just transition to a green economy, building climate-resilient infrastructure, and securing sustainable livelihoods."

Nepal, as a committed Party to the UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, and Paris Agreement, urges urgent and collective global climate action. Emphasizing the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), the keynote speaker highlighted the importance of the Polluter Pays Principle and the need for climate finance that is new, additional, predictable, grant-based, and easily accessible.

He criticized the reliance on loans—over 70% of climate finance in 2020—saying it burdens vulnerable nations like Nepal and erodes trust. The unmet $100 billion climate finance commitment must be replaced with a credible and urgent $300 billion target, guided by justice.

Mountain nations like Nepal, facing rapid cryosphere degradation, must be prioritized. Loss and damage funding is seen not as charity but climate justice. Carbon markets are welcomed provided they uphold fairness, environmental integrity, and benefit local communities, the Minister said.

Mountains are vital ecosystems that support climate regulation, biodiversity, and billions of people, yet remain underrepresented in climate discourse. Nepal calls for a Global Alliance for Mountains and Cryosphere under the UNFCCC, and integration of mountain ecosystem services into global frameworks, the statement further added

The minister stressed that the “Early Warnings for All” initiative must extend to mountains, supported by robust monitoring, risk assessments, and adaptive strategies to build resilient mountain communities.

The cryosphere serves as the Earth’s early warning system, and preserving it is essential to limiting warming to 1.5°C. This is a moral imperative and a planetary necessity, the statement mentions

The statement concluded with a call for the Sagarmatha Sambaad to drive action, not just dialogue. Nepal urged the global community to act urgently, inclusively, and decisively, to safeguard mountains—the "soul of the planet"—for current and future generations. 

At least 170 people have been killed in Gaza, including 50 in a major Israeli offensive in the north, according to the Hamas-run civil defence agency. The assault reportedly began early Friday with smoke bombs and heavy shelling, BBC reported.

This marks the largest ground operation in northern Gaza since March. The Israeli military has not commented.

Gaza remains under a full blockade for the 10th week, with no access to aid. US Senator Marco Rubio said the US is “troubled” by the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Ceasefire talks in Qatar between Israel and Hamas continue without progress, according to BBC.

A person killed his daughter and nephew by attacking them with a sharp weapon in Chitwan on Friday.

Leela Raj Giri (42) of Bharatpur Metropolitan City also tried to kill himself after murdering his daughter and nephew.

Giri attacked his seven-year-old daughter Prabha Giri and five-year-old nephew while they were getting ready for school, said Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Govinda Puri. 

All of them were brought to Chitwan Medical College for treatment where the two children died during the course of treatment while the condition of Giri is serious, added Puri.

Giri is a former soldier and was reportedly suffering from mental illness, said Puri.