NEPAL’S POLITICAL CRISIS DEEPENED DRAMATICALLY ON TUESDAY AS PROTESTERS SET THE PARLIAMENT COMPLEX ABLAZE, JUST HOURS AFTER PRIME MINISTER KP SHARMA OLI ANNOUNCED HIS RESIGNATION AMID MOUNTING PRESSURE FROM NATIONWIDE DEMONSTRATIONS. (PHOTO).

Nepal’s political crisis deepened dramatically on Tuesday as protesters set the Parliament complex ablaze, just hours after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli announced his resignation amid mounting pressure from nationwide demonstrations

Videos circulating on social media showed huge flames and thick black smoke rising from the sprawling Parliament building in Kathmandu, as security forces and firefighters rushed to contain the blaze. The incident marks the most violent escalation yet in the Gen Z-led movement that has shaken the country for weeks.

The protests, which began over corruption and a controversial social media ban, have spiraled into a full-fledged youth uprising. Gen Z demonstrators, many of them students, say they are frustrated with systemic corruption, shrinking job opportunities, and what they see as a government unwilling to listen.

Clashes between security forces and protesters have already left at least 19 people dead, most of them young demonstrators. Rights groups and opposition leaders have condemned the use of live ammunition and tear gas against civilians.

In his resignation statement, Oli blamed “infiltrators” for the violence and defended his government’s actions, but acknowledged that he could no longer continue in office under the current circumstances. “I step down for the sake of peace and stability,” he said, while refusing to take direct responsibility for the bloodshed.

For many in Nepal’s youth-driven protest movement, Oli’s departure is being seen as a victory, but the destruction of Parliament has cast a shadow over what comes next. The incident has triggered fears of deeper instability, with questions now looming over who will lead the country and how the demands of Nepal’s restless Gen Z will be addressed.