New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, extended his best wishes to Sushila Karki on assuming office as prime minister of the Interim Government of Nepal. India remains firmly committed to the peace, progress and prosperity of the people of Nepal, the Indian PM said.
“I extend my best wishes to Right Hon. Mrs. Sushila Karki on assuming office as the Prime Minister of the Interim Government of Nepal. India remains firmly committed to the peace, progress and prosperity of the people of Nepal,” Modi posted on X.
Speaking to an Indian television channel soon after taking over on Friday, Karki said that her primary aim will be to hold free and fair elections in Nepal.
“I am not a politician. I have been a lawyer for 30 years and then a judge for 10 years. My aim is to hold free and fair elections in the country, on the lines of what your T N Seshan did, and set up a stable government in Nepal,” she said.
India, meanwhile, underlined that Nepal is a “close neighbour, fellow democracy and long-term development partner”. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on Friday, welcomed the formation of the interim government in Kathmandu and expressed hope that the move would “help foster peace and stability” in the Himalayan nation.
“India will continue to work closely with Nepal for the well-being and prosperity of our two peoples and countries,” the MEA noted.
Karki’s appointment has come as a relief for India. She was sworn in earlier on Friday by Nepal’s president Ramchandra Paudel at a formal ceremony in Kathmandu. She is Nepal’s first woman interim prime minister. Her appointment follows the resignation of KP Sharma Oli earlier this week after a youth-led movement demanded a non-political, credible figure to guide the country through the transition.
Karki’s selection marks a rare moment of consensus in Nepali politics. Chosen through a public vote held by Gen Z leaders on the online platform Discord, she emerged as the most popular and acceptable figure, not only among the youth movement but also among traditional political forces seeking stability and credibility in a time of upheaval, The Kathmandu Post reported.
After completing her early education in Biratnagar, Karki went on to earn a master’s degree from Banaras Hindu University in India, followed by a Bachelor of Laws from Tribhuvan University in 1978.
She began practising law in 1979, and over the years built a respected legal career serving as president of both the Koshi Zonal Bar Association and the Biratnagar Appellate Bar, before being appointed a Supreme Court justice in 2009.
In July 2016, she became Nepal’s first woman Chief Justice, known for issuing strong verdicts in high-profile corruption cases. Though she was nominated to the top court under the Nepali Congress quota, those who have worked closely with her stress that she always maintained judicial independence and never bowed to political pressure.
In fact, her tenure ended in June 2017 after a controversial impeachment motion widely viewed as a political attempt to stop her verdict on the police chief appointment was filed against her by the then Sher Bahadur Deuba-led coalition.
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