Pro-monarchy protesters hit streets in Kathmandu as political crisis deepens

Agencies

January 2, 2021

Kathmandu, Jan 2: Thousands of pro-monarchy demonstrators took to the streets of Kathmandu on Friday demanding the reinstatement of Nepal's status as a constitutional monarchy at a time where the political crisis in the Himalayan Nation is deepening further.

Organised by the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, Friday's demonstrations witnessed thousands of pro-monarchy supporters across various locations of the capital playing traditional musical instruments and chanting anti-federalism and anti-government slogans.

They also demanded that the incumbent political system be scrapped, blaming politicians in power failing to cater to the need of the people in current times. Protesters claimed that a Monarchy is the only way that would and can fix the current prevailing issues.

"The communist government has completely failed in this nation; this government also couldn't work well despite the federal structure and the country is in crisis because of it. In order to save the nation, we are demanding for a Hindu-state and reinstatement of a Monarchy," Gomba Ghale, one of the protestors told ANI.

The political crisis in the Himalayan Nation again has deepened since December 20 after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli dissolved the lower house in the parliament. The latest move to the dissolute lower house has invited protest from within the ruling Nepal Communist Party which now has been seen as two factions and both are fighting for authenticity.

Though now caretaker Prime Minister Oli has called on for election later in April and May, doubts are running high whether it would be able to conduct it on the stipulated date. With the country in chaos, pro-monarchy forces also have come forward with their demands.

Pro-monarchy protests have increased in the Nepali capital in recent times, a large scale protest similar to that of Friday or 1st January 2021 was held earlier on December 5.

Nepal's newly adopted Constitution in 2015 has mentioned the Himalayan Nation as a "Secular State" which participants in such pre-advertised rally are demanding to be scrapped off.

"We want Monarchy- an impartial force in the nation along with the status of Hindu State. A wide variety of programs has been scheduled and today's demonstration falls on that list. The Rashtriya Janata Party has called on a wide range of programs with the demand of reinstating constitutional monarchy, scrapping of federalism and secular state," another protestor Rudra Prasad Dhakal said.

Nepal has transitioned into a federal democratic republic after the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015.

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Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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