KATHMANDU,
Nepal has been a regular participant at the Boao Forum for Asia since 2001 and its presence has always been at the highest levels. But not this time. Nepal did not even receive an invite for the 2021 conference of the Boao Forum for Asia, of which it is a founding member.
Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they did not have any idea why Beijing did not send an invitation to Nepal. The Chinese embassy in Kathmandu said Nepal’s Ambassador Mahendra Bahadur Pandey is participating in the conference.
Sources at the Nepali embassy in Beijing told the Post that Ambassador Pandey and Deputy Chief of Mission Sushil Kuamr Lamsal have already left for Hainan to participate in the annual conference.
According to the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference-2021 website, over 60 delegates are participating physically and online, including several heads of state and government and senior officials from across the region.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sewa Lamsal said she could provide details only on Wednesday.
But many wonder if China deliberately did not invite one of the founding members to participate in the conference.
“I am a bit surprised to learn that Nepal was not invited to the conference,” said Rupak Sapkota, deputy executive director at the Institute of Foreign Affairs.
According to Sapkota, who holds a PhD from the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China, the way Nepal’s internal politics has unfolded in the recent past suggests there could be some displeasure on the Chinese side.
“No matter what the reason is, we as the founding member being missed out does carry some meaning,” Sapkota told the Post. Since 2001, this is the third instance of Nepal not participating in the Boao conference.
In 2015, when former President Ram Baran Yadav attended the Boao Forum, Nepal received Rs16 billion in Chinese aid for repair and maintenance of the Araniko Highway. Later in 2017, former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal attended the conference.
In 2018, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli could not participate in the Boao conference because he was on a state visit to India. Nor did he send his representative.
In 2019, no invitation was extended to Nepal. Last year’s conference was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A ruling party leader said after asserting its presence in Nepal, Beijing not sending an invitation for the Boao conference does bring to the fore some questions.
“Maybe Beijing has some reservations, especially after political developments in Nepal and Oli’s increasing rapprochement with India,” said the leader who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared retribution from the leadership.
“Diplomatically what role the Foreign Ministry plays we do not know, but politically we can say that China is not happy with the recent political developments in Kathmandu. And it could be a reflection of that,” added the leader who closely follows the party’s international relations.
According to the Boao Forum for Asia website, it is an international organisation jointly initiated by 29 member states with the founding purpose to promote economic integration in Asia. It holds its annual conference in Boao, Hainan on a regular basis and this year’s conference is scheduled for April 18-21.
This year, the Boao Forum for Asia completes its 20 years. In 2001, King Birendra had participated in the first conference of the forum.
Analysts say there should have been an invitation to Nepal at highest levels on such an occasion because Nepal is one of the founding members.
“They [Chinese] do not invite all the countries every year. We had our participation at the highest levels in the past, but we did not get an invitation in 2019 too,” said Leela Mani Paudyal, a former bureaucrat who also served as Nepal’s ambassador to Beijing from 2016 to 2020.
“Yes, it would have been definitely good had we been invited, as the participation is virtual. I cannot say what could be the exact reason for not sending an invitation.”
When Nepal’s two big communist forces—CPN-UML and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre)—merged in May 2018 to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), China was viewed as the architect of that unity. The united communist force, the largest and the strongest Nepal had ever seen, built close relations with China, while Beijing played the role of a guardian. The party even organised a two-day symposium on Xi Jinping thought in Kathmandu in October 2019, days before Chinese President Xi’s visit to Nepal, the first such high-level visit in 23 years.
But things started to fall apart from the beginning of last year. When the feud in the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) escalated, the Chinese used all its might to broker peace between leaders. Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi visited several Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leaders last year, in what many in Kathmandu found unprecedented as Beijing had always maintained its policy of non-interference in Nepal’s internal affairs.
But the party infighting reached a tipping point in December last year. Oli’s House dissolution move on December 20 caught Beijing by surprise. Two days later the party split with two clear factions—one led by Oli and the other by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Insiders say Oli was left with no option than to make peace with India and Delhi too was keen on improving the ties with Kathmandu.
The Oli’s increasing closeness with Delhi has become an irritant for Beijing, analysts say.
“In not inviting Nepal to the Boao Forum, there could be some message from Beijing,” said Dinesh Bhattarai, a former ambassador who also served as foreign relations adviser to former prime minister Sushil Koirala. “The Chinese might be unhappy because Oli did not attend the conference in 2018 and instead went to Delhi, leaving the invitation lying on his table.”
According to Bhattarai, the current political dynamics in Nepal could be another reason why Beijing did not put on the list of invitees.
The theme of the Boao Forum this year is “A World in Change: Join Hands to Strengthen Global Governance and Advance Belt and Road Cooperation”.
At least two government officials told the Post that Nepal’s participation would have helped in exchanging ideas as it has signed China’s Belt and Road and Initiative in 2017.
Nepal signed up to the Chinese President Xi’s flagship strategy initiative, which aims to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime networks, in May 2017. However, there has been little progress in Nepal under the Chinese initiative.
Narayan Khadka, a Nepali Congress leader who is also the foreign minister of the shadow government, said Nepal too should keep an eye on such international events and make efforts to get participation in such conferences from where it can benefit.
“Given the history of Nepal’s regular participation in the conference, there should have been an invitation. In parts, it could be our diplomatic failure,” said Khadka.  “And maybe the Chinese diplomacy works in a different way.”
A spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu talking to the Post insinuated that there was no need to read too much into Nepal’s non-participation.
“Boao Forum for Asia holds its conference every year and the organisers invite different leaders of different countries,” said the spokesperson via a phone text message. “If you see the list, each year the forum invites
different leaders. So for our understanding, there is no permanent guest. And per my information, Ambassador Pandey has already confirmed his attendance.”

KATHMANDU,
Nepali politicians are never tired of swearing by democratic virtues, but never before have they exasperated the people like they have done today. And one intriguing feature that is common among most of the Nepali leaders today is—they are branding others as wicked and evil, accusing each other of losing their moral compass.
On Monday, CPN-UML chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma
Oli said what the Madhav Kumar Nepal faction did in Karnali was an immoral act.
Four of the UML leaders belonging to the Nepal faction on Friday defied the party whip to vote in favour of Mahendra Bahadur Shahi to save his chief ministerial post. UML Standing Committee member Pradeep Gyawali, who is also the foreign minister and Oli’s close confidant, said what the Nepal faction leaders did in Karnali was against the parliamentary system.
In what came as a surprise to many, the Nepal faction leaders, who had defied the party whip, on Saturday were appointed ministers in the Shahi government in Karnali.
Both Oli and Gyawali would have been right had they not been involved in shenanigans of a similar sort of their own, analysts say. Oli himself has been re-appointing those ministers who have been ousted by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). One third of Oli’s Cabinet ministers are not members of the federal parliament, as they were suspended by the Maoist Centre for defying the party orders.
After the infighting in the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) reached a breaking point, Oli on July 2 last year suddenly prorogued the House session. He feared a no-confidence motion was coming. Five months later, around seven dozen lawmakers belonging to the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-Madhav Nepal faction prepared a no-confidence motion. Oli on December 20 dissolved the House, hours before they registered the motion at the Parliament Secretariat.
The Dahal-Nepal faction, the Nepali Congress and the Janata Samajbadi Party took to the streets, objecting to Oli’s dissolution move. It was restored by the Supreme Court on February 23.
Two weeks later, on March 7, the Supreme Court scrapped the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and revived the UML and the Maoist Centre. In effect, it broke the Dahal-Nepal alliance. The Janata Samajbadi Party, which vehemently opposed the House dissolution and saw Oli as the biggest obstacle to its cause including constitutional amendments, now is in negotiations to seal a deal.
On Monday, five Janata Samajbadi members of the Lumbini Provincial Assembly signed a no-confidence motion, prepared at the leadership of the Maoist Centre and Nepali Congress, against Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel, one of Oli’s close allies.
But hours later, four Janata Samajbadi leaders took the oath as ministers—three of them had signed the motion and one had not.
Last week, 28 members of the Nepali Congress, the Maoist Centre and the Janata Samajbadi Party in the Gandaki Provincial Assembly filed a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung, another confidant of Oli.
Gurung followed in his master Oli’s footsteps. As he had sensed a confidence motion against him, he prorogued the Provincial Assembly on Wednesday, the notice regarding which was made public on Thursday afternoon, hours before the motion was filed.
Analysts say there is no doubt that Nepali politicians are failing to maintain the minimum political morality and propriety and that they have rather engaged in blame games. In Nepal’s politics, it’s like the pot calling the kettle black, analysts say.
“There seems to be an utter lack of democratised minds in Nepali polity,” says Uddhab Pyakurel, a commentator on current affairs who teaches political sociology at Kathmandu University. “I don’t think the kind of ugly political games we are seeing here would be seen anywhere in the world.”
Ever since Oli dissolved the House, the conversation has turned ugly in Nepali politics. Leaders have not only limited themselves just to scathing and acerbic remarks against each other but also have engaged in passing some serious allegations.
“Nepali politicians’ behaviour and actions have emerged as a major threat to democracy,” said Bhojraj Pokhrel, a former chief election commissioner. “What is worrying is there is a danger that members of the public could start developing a distaste for the system if the politicians continue to act like this.”
According to Pokhrel, Nepali politicians do not give two hoots about ethical politics and their focus is on power.
“We can just feel ashamed of our politicians and their activities,” he said. “To attain power, our politicians these days appear to be ready to go to any extent.”
There is a general understanding among many that Oli should have stepped down the moment his House dissolution move was overturned. But it was incumbent upon the Maoist Centre also to withdraw its support after the March 7 court decision revived it and the UML.
After the House was revived, the Maoist Centre made attempts to unseat governments in Province 1 and Bagmati. However, no-confidence motions were delayed by the respective governments and assembly speakers.
The motions were withdrawn later on April 5 in Province 1 and on April 7 in Bagmati, as the UML controlled the majority after the court’s March 7 decision revived the party.
Shreekrishna Aniruddh Gautam, a political commentator who regularly writes on contemporary politics for the Post’s sister paper Kantipur, said the unprincipled politics that started from Kathmandu now has reached provinces.
“Oli set in motion a bizarre chain of events by dissolving the House, which was out and out an unconstitutional and unprincipled move,” Gautam told the Post. “Now provinces which are led by his disciples are following him. Other parties have started to think if Oli can make unethical decisions, why not them?”

KATHMANDU,
At a time when the country is witnessing a steep surge in new cases, Nepal’s national drug regulatory authority has granted emergency use approval to Sputnik V, a viral vector vaccine for Covid-19 developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Russia.
A meeting of the drug advisory committee of the Department of Drug Administration on Tuesday decided to issue a conditional emergency use authorisation to the vaccine, according to a press statement issued by the department. With this, the number of vaccines granted emergency use authorisation has reached four.
“The company had applied for emergency use approval through the local supplier in Nepal, “ said Santosh KC, spokesperson for the department. “Based on data provided by the company’s suppliers, we have given a conditional emergency use authorisation.”
Lomus Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd had applied for emergency use authorisation of the Sputnik V vaccine, according to KC. According to the Lancet, the Sputnik V vaccine’s effectiveness is at 91.6 percent.
The vaccine has to be stored in 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. The storage requirements can be supported by Nepal’s vaccine storage and transport infrastructure.
Earlier this year, the department had granted conditional emergency use authorisation to three Covid-19 vaccines—Covishield developed by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India,  BBIBP-CorV vaccine, developed by China’s Sinopharm, and Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech and India’s homegrown government-backed vaccine.
Emergency use authorisation is granted for some drugs and vaccines by authorities during a declared emergency when officials can make a judgment that the drug is worth releasing—even without all the evidence that would fully establish its effectiveness and safety. Such a decision is taken when there’s enough evidence to suggest that patients have benefited from the drug/vaccine.
Some 1.8 million people have been vaccinated with the first dose of Covishield from January 27 and its second dose was administered for frontline workers and others who received the jab in the first phase of the vaccination campaign from Tuesday.
Some 100,000 people have been vaccinated with the Chinese BBIBP-CorV vaccine between April 7 and 18. More will be given this vaccine from April 24, according to officials of the Ministry of Health and Population.  
But India’s Covaxin has not been used in Nepal.  
With the Serum Institute of India yet to supply one million doses of Covishield for which Nepal has made 80 percent of the payment and to respond on supplying another 5 million doses, the government has been scampering to get vaccines.
Nepal has to immunise 72 percent of its 30 million population.
The government has currently suspended the vaccination drive with no immediate plans to resume it as it is struggling to acquire vaccines.
On Tuesday the Health Ministry said 1,667 people were infected in the last 24 hours and 11 people had died  from Covid-19 complications. Active cases across the country stands at 8,659.

Schools in Nepal resumed classes last year around September, some earlier in July, even as the threat of the coronavirus continued to be there. That the country was seeing a steady decline in the number of new infections made many think everything was hunky-dory. It was not. Experts had warned that a second wave could hit the country sooner rather than later. And it has. As the number of new cases has been rising, what is more worrisome is, unlike in the past, children this time are being affected. After hemming and hawing for days, with private school operators continuously pushing for running physical classes, the government on Monday decided to shut schools in major cities until May 14 and run online classes. The cities where schools will remain closed are Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bharatpur and Pokhara metropolitan cities; Itahari, Dharan, Janakpur, Hetauda, Butwal, Ghorahi, Tulsipur, Nepalgunj and Dhangadhi sub-metropolitan cities; all
municipalities in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts; and Mechinagar, Birtamod, Damak, Rajbiraj, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Siddharthanagar, Birendranagar and Bhimdatta municipalities.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on children and taken an unthinkable toll on them—social, emotional and academic. The decision to shut schools was the only best measure to protect children. What, however, is concerning is whether schools and students are well equipped for remote classes. Last year too, when schools remained shut amid the pandemic, they had run online classes. But such remote classes while beneficial were inaccessible. Despite facing difficulties in running online classes in the past, neither the government nor the schools gave a thought about improving the system. When schools reopened, the general assumption was everything was back to normal.
According to a study by the National Campaign for Education, an umbrella body of over 300 organisations working in the field of education, virtual learning was ineffective for 64.3 percent of the students surveyed. The study was carried out among students, guardians and teachers from different districts in all seven provinces. The study published in December last year showed that virtual learning didn’t yield satisfactory results. This and similar studies should have prompted the government authorities as well as schools to explore ways to make online classes more effective. Now that the schools have been shut in some major cities, online classes remain the only option, and concerns are already growing over how the children will fare. As the caseloads are surging, schools in other parts of the country too are likely to be closed. That online classes are ineffective is one part, the pandemic has exposed yet another harsh reality of today’s times—the digital divide. According to a UNICEF Nepal survey in August,  more than two-thirds of schoolchildren in Nepal are deprived of distance learning opportunities. The Child and Family Tracker Survey, carried out among 7,500 households, showed that the poorer the household, the less likely it is that children have access to or use distance learning.
Nepali authorities are known for making reactive decisions rather than taking a proactive approach. That both the authorities and schools failed to learn from the past can have a long-term impact on children. As more and more children are being affected—of the more than 1,200 affected until Monday, 98 were children—the best option available was putting a halt to physically present classes and shutting schools. Online classes, despite their own demerits, are, hence, a Hobson’s choice. The best the authorities could have done—and must do now—is make clear policies and invest in resources and training for public schools to improve remote learning.  

Even after the completion of three full budget cycles since the formation of three tiers of government in Nepal, there are general complaints about the ‘lack of delivery’. There are various perspectives and reasons that can possibly explain why ‘development’ has not occured as expected. Among them, lack of coordination and collaboration between the various levels of government in the selection and implementation of programmes and projects has been persistently problematic. There are provisions in the laws intended to avoid overlapping, gaps and contradiction in the selection and implementation of annual plans and budgets. But in practice, this does not seem to be the case. The federal and provincial governments send conditional programmes and projects, and the local units are compelled to implement them.
With regard to the federal plans, there are grievances from both the provincial and local levels. The biggest complaint of the provincial governments is directed at the small conditional schemes selected by the federal government. Dozens of conditional projects including road bridges, which have lain unfinished for 50 years, have been sent to the provincial governments with a very small budgetary allocation. The Coordination and Interrelationships Act 2020 states that any level of government should not interfere in the jurisdiction of another level of government while formulating laws, policies and plans. But government officials do not know or care about this law passed to ensure coordination and collaboration between the three levels of government.

Unrealistic projects
Dozens of unrealistic projects—like bridges in open areas, drinking water schemes in uninhabited places, irrigation schemes for non-agricultural lands, and additional road schemes in areas with adequate road infrastructure—can be seen. In addition, there is a tendency to ensure budgetary allocations from different levels of government and bodies for the same project.
During budget season, the offices of the Ministry of Finance, National Planning Commission and development ministries are crowded with people trying to influence budget allocations. The disease of Singha Durbar has spread to the provinces and local units. Although there is a constitutional provision to distribute the resources of the country on the basis of fiscal need, the practice of allocating resources based on access to power centres has not ended.
Nepal has undergone massive political and administrative changes. But there has been little change in how policies, plans and budgets are decided. The annual progress report of the Ministry of Finance states that there is a mismatch between the periodic plans, government policies and programmes and the annual development programme. The old mentality of deciding and influencing even small projects has remained at the federal level, and the provincial and local governments are reinventing the same practice.
Some local units have the wrong thinking and mentality of doing all the development tasks from the office of the municipal executive and not delegating rights to the ward level. While the wards are the real constituencies of the local level, many of them do not even have a ward secretary. Similarly, some local units do not even provide a budget ceiling to the wards. The system has changed, but not the mindset. The tendency to plan on the basis of preconceived notions, rather than based on the idea of inclusion, justification and necessity, still prevails.
In the erstwhile unitary system, the planning process began at the settlement level and ended at the National Planning Commission and Ministry of Finance. The local unit used to start the planning process in November. The plan selection process would end after the details were submitted to the sectoral ministries and the National Planning Commission by the end of March. Even in the absence of elected representatives, almost all local units used to follow participatory planning procedures.
In the changed context, participatory planning procedures have been adopted to some extent in the selection of projects at the local level; this tool has not been adopted at the provincial and federal levels. Similarly, there is a lack of project selection criteria from the community to the higher level as we did in the past. In order to fill this gap, it is necessary for the National Planning Commission to coordinate with the subnational levels. As in the past, it is necessary to follow a bottom-up planning and budgeting process where plans are first selected at the local level followed by the provincial and federal government.
In principle, the responsibility of parliamentarians is to make policies, rules and laws, monitor and evaluate and give instructions to the government. It is the responsibility of the government to implement the budget by selecting the proper programmes and projects. But problems have arisen due to the tendency of some ministers and influential leaders to engage in pork-barrel politics by bringing federal funding to their own constituencies, ignoring the demands from less influential parliamentarians or constituencies. The local infrastructure development partnership programme (Constituency Development Programme) emerged from this background where all parliamentarians would get a certain budgetary allocation to implement programmes in their constituencies.

Scrap that programme
This programme was somewhat fine when there were no elected representatives at the local level in the previous system. But in the presence of elected representatives, the programme is against the idea of a federal system of governance where the constitution has designated each level with its own power and functions. This programme has created the biggest problem in the provinces. Even in provinces where resources are scarce, other programmes and projects have to be made only after funding allocation has been made for the Constituency Development Programme. Because of this programme, the general public’s confidence in federalism is waning. Regardless of the arrangement, a negative message is rife about the misuse of funds without contributing much to local socio-economic transformation.
The Constituency Development Programme should be scrapped. But even now amid the Covid-19 pandemic when the country is struggling to manage even its current expenditure from its own resources, the programme has not been abolished. This programme is now likely to go on indefinitely. This is unfortunate for federal Nepal. If funding is distributed based on fiscal need, there will be no rush of parliamentarians to get their hands on it. It is important to focus on allowing the subnational levels to carry out their responsibilities well, and allocating resources in a transparent manner on the basis of ‘finance follows the functions’.

Devkota holds a PhD and is a fiscal federalism and local government analyst.

For the first time in centuries, there is an opportunity to connect Central and South Asia via modern transport and energy corridors through Afghanistan. Once completed, these projects would transform Eurasian security, significantly increase regional economic activity, and potentially bring peace at last to Afghanistan. They may even revive the Great Silk Road.
Progress on the planned schemes should therefore interest the region’s influential neighbours—Russia, China, and India—and the United States, which has spent at least $2 trillion in Afghanistan over the last 20 years. But most of the world regards Central Asia as terra incognita, and has so far paid little attention to significant recent developments.
In February, for example, Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov visited three Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan—to secure their support for transport projects with Afghanistan and South Asian countries. Kamilov was travelling at the behest of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who, in his December 29 message to the country’s parliament, highlighted cooperation with South Asia and promotion of peace in Afghanistan as his main regional priorities.
Specifically, the talks were about the construction of the ‘Kabul Corridor’ railway from Termez in Uzbekistan to the Pakistani city of Peshawar via Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul in Afghanistan. The railway could transport up to 20 million tons of cargo per year, and the section from Termez to Mazar-i-Sharif, built by Uzbekistan, is already operational. The remaining 573-kilometre (356-mile) stretch to Peshawar will have to cross the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the passes are more than 3,500 meters (11,483 feet) above sea level, making it one of the world’s highest mountain railways.
The section of the railway from Mazar-i-Sharif to Kabul, at a preliminary estimated cost of $5 billion, will be built mainly with borrowed funds. In late December, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan jointly appealed to international financial institutions to support the project. Subject to financing, construction could begin in September this year. The existing highway between Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul will ensure the delivery of equipment and construction materials, while Uzbekistan and Tajikistan’s power lines to the Afghan capital run along the same route, making it possible to electrify the rail link.
In Peshawar, the railway will connect arriving trains with the Pakistani transport system, thereby linking the Central Asian and Eurasian railway networks to those of South Asia and providing access to the Pakistani ports of Karachi, Qasim, and Gwadar. It is estimated that the new railway will reduce goods transportation times from Central Asia to Pakistan from 30 days to 15 and cut transportation costs by 30-35 percent.
The apparent reason for giving access to Pakistani ports priority over other options is that the Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar route is the shortest one. But there is a more important one: the Kabul Corridor, together with the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan transport corridor, will connect four economically powerful Eurasian regions—Europe, China, Russia, and South Asia—via Central Asia.
Today, the main transport route from Central Asia to the southern seas, through the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, is no longer considered the most attractive. Economists calculate that transporting a container from Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, to Karachi would cost approximately $1,400-1,600, about half the price of transporting it from Tashkent to Bandar Abbas ($2,600-3,000). Besides, international economic sanctions against Iran will complicate any projects there.
At the end of 2020, construction began on the Afghan section of another mega-project linking Central and South Asia: the TAPI gas pipeline, named after the four countries through which it will pass—Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The 1,814-kilometer pipeline will run from the Galkynysh gas field in Turkmenistan to the Indian city of Fazilka via Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan and the Pakistani cities of Quetta and Multan. It will have a capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year and cost an estimated $8-10 billion.
Although security concerns have long cast doubt on the TAPI pipeline’s viability, completion is now scheduled for December 2023. Crucially, a high-ranking Taliban delegation visited Turkmenistan on February 6, promising to support the project. There are indications that the US, which has long backed the pipeline, may have facilitated the trip.
Central Asia has always been a politically sensitive region, part of what former US National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski called the ‘grand chessboard.’ When implementing such large projects, therefore, one should consider the geopolitical positions of major regional players such as America, Russia, and China. But for now, at least, it appears that everyone has an interest in Central Asia and Afghanistan being economically dynamic and politically stable, rather than poor and a source of conflict.
For all the importance of new landmark projects, further Central Asian cooperation is essential. Historically, the region has prospered most when it acts as a ‘crossroads civilisation,’ channelling and transforming Eurasian trade, and economic and cultural forces. In fact, Central Asia became a world leader in economic development, trade, technology, manufacturing, and intellectual life during the period referred to as its golden age, when it was open, dynamic, and willing and able to learn and adapt from others.
There is no reason why Central Asia cannot succeed again. Practising a form of open regionalism, Central Asians found many reasons to cooperate over several centuries. A return to that role would be good news for the entire world—and deserving of its leaders’ attention.

Otorbaev was prime minister of Kyrgyzstan in 2014-15.
— Project Syndicate

KATHMANDU, 
Doctors have warned that failure to ensure oxygen supply at hospitals could exacerbate coronavirus death rate, but most hospitals treating Covid-19 patients do not have a ready supply of oxygen.  
Out of 185 hospitals across the country, only 26 have oxygen plants and not all of them are in operation.  
“Supply of oxygen is critical for the treatment of patients who are seriously ill. A lot of lives could be saved with oxygen therapy,” Dr Basudev Pandey, former director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, told the Post.
The country is going through a second wave of Covid-19 infections. Infection numbers are rising and Intensive care unit beds allocated for Covid-19 patients are filling up across the country.
If the latest projection of the Ministry of Health and Population is anything to go by, things are likely to get worse in the coming days.  
The ministry estimates that an additional 300,000 people could be infected with the virus by July 15 and the daily cases could reach up to 11,000.
Should such a scenario come to pass, health experts say hospitals will be hit by oxygen shortage and many patients could die unnecessarily. But the authorities concerned seem to be unprepared for such a situation.
“We cannot wait for a crisis to hit and think of a solution. Preparations should already be in place, but this has not happened,’ Dr Sarad Onta, a public health expert, told the Post.
Nepal recorded 1,667 infections and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the data released by the Health Ministry on Tuesday afternoon. It was the third  consecutive day that the number of cases had crossed 1,000 mark.
Among those people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the ministry said 193 were under 20 years. The ministry added that 160 people were admitted to intensive care units and 45 others were on ventilator support.
Many health facilities in Kathmandu Valley are currently occupied by seriously infected people. This, doctors say, is because most people are seeking treatment only after their health conditions deteriorate.
With new cases on the rise, the government on Monday issued various restrictions in order to contain the virus spread.
Onta, the public health expert, fears the latest curbs against Covid-19 could come as too little too late.  
“We had sufficient time for preparations at the initial days of the pandemic and this time as well,” he said. “But we are only scrambling to enforce restrictive measures in the last hour.”
When new cases started declining after November last year, authorities dismantled the quarantine and isolation facilities. Furthermore, the number of tests was not increased and contact tracing was not resumed despite suggestions from public health experts.
“Even if the number of new cases was declining, the pandemic was not over and we had not won the pandemic,” Dr Mingmar Gyelgen Sherpa, former director general at the Department of the Health Services, told the Post. “Authorities should start case management— ensure oxygen supply up to the health post level, make contact tracing effective and increase testing.”
Pandey, the former director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, believes with only symptomatic people undergoing tests, the number of Covid-19 cases could be much higher.
“Real number of infections might be 10 time more than the daily count as only the symptomatic people have been undergoing the tests,” he told the Post. “Authorities  should direct all health facilities to treat the infected patients and assist those facilities in the treatment.”
Meanwhile, Minister for Health and population Hridayesh Tripathi on Tuesday urged the general public not to take the ongoing infection lightly and strictly follow the safety measures.
“The government does not want to enforce another lockdown, but we will be left with no option if we do not follow the safety measures,” Tripathi said while addressing a virtual press meet at the ministry.
Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, said the coming nine weeks could be challenging.
“With new variants of the virus circulating, more people could be infected,” he warned.

KATHMANDU,
Lately, bodies of Nepali migrant workers have once again started piling up in labour destination countries.
The bodies remain stuck in labour destination countries because of flight issues, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, and other administrative problems in those countries.
According to the Foreign Employment Board, the government body responsible for the welfare of Nepali migrant workers, including repatriation of the dead, at least 19 bodies are still stuck abroad.
According to Din Bandhu Subedi, a spokesperson with the Board, four more bodies in Malaysia are awaiting
repatriation. Likewise, there are 13 bodies of Nepali migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and two in Kuwait still waiting to be brought home.
Repatriation of the bodies from Malaysia has been affected mainly due to flight issues.
“The Himalayan Airlines does not have a wide-body plane, making it difficult for bringing back the bodies from Malaysia. Narrow-body aircraft do not have enough space for ferrying coffins,” said Subedi. “Only Nepal Airlines has wide-body planes which can bring many bodies in a single trip.”
Last Saturday, the Nepal Airlines ferried home nine bodies of Nepali workers from Malaysia, a major labour destination country for Nepali workers.
“Four bodies are languishing in Malaysia as the bodies need clearance from the local authorities for repatriation,” said Subedi.
The process of repatriating Nepali bodies had halted last year after countries around the world sealed their borders and suspended international flights to stem the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The repatriation of bodies, which had stopped since March last year, could resume only after the government started chartered flights to labour destination countries to bring home stranded Nepali workers.
The resumption of regular commercial flights had further eased the bodies’ repatriation process. But the problem had persisted in Malaysia, where at one point mortal remains of 31 Nepalis had remained stuck.
Later, Nepal Airlines had sent its wide-body aircraft for bringing those bodies.
According to Subedi, before Saturday’s repatriation, a total of 33 bodies of migrant workers—18 and 15— have been brought in two separate lots from Malaysia.
“Even the narrow-body aircraft has brought the dead from Malaysia, but it can hardly adjust one coffin,” said Subedi. “The remaining four bodies are in the process of obtaining clearance and compensation. Once that process is completed, the Nepal embassy will issue a no-objection certificate and the bodies will be brought home.”
Every year, hundreds of Nepali migrant workers die in various labour destinations due to various reasons. In the last fiscal year 2019-20, a total of 754 Nepali workers died abroad.
If their employers do not send the bodies, the Board takes the responsibility of bringing the bodies. After bringing the bodies to Nepal, they are handed over to the respective families and the board also provides vans for free to ferry the bodies to their respective home addresses.
Board official Subedi is also concerned about the 13 bodies in Saudi Arabia and two languishing in Kuwait. In Kuwait, two Nepali workers recently died of Covid-19.
According to Subedi, so far no bodies of Nepalis who died abroad from Covid-19 have been brought home.
“The process of bringing the bodies from Malaysia has been delayed due to problems with flights, but in Saudi Arabia’s case, the delay was caused by the administrative issues there,” said Subedi. “It takes a
long time in Saudi Arabia to get the clearance from local authorities. We must follow their rules. And in Saudi Arabia’s case we have used even narrow-body aircraft to bring the bodies.”

NAWALPARASI (EAST),
The district hospital in Nawalparasi (East), the only Covid-19 hospital in the district, is not able to function at full capacity due to a shortage of health workers.  
The Danda-based hospital, which has a total posts of 31 health workers, has only six health workers on duty at present. It does not have a single doctor.
“The Intensive Care Unit and ventilator service are yet to be operated at full capacity due to the shortage of specialist doctors and trained health workers,” said Chhabilal Subedi, the information officer at the hospital. “We have informed the higher authorities about the urgent need for medical professionals but we are yet to hear from them.”
There are around three dozen health institutions—both public and private—in Nawalparasi (East) but the District Hospital is the only health facility with ICU and ventilator services. The hospital has five ICU beds and three ventilators at present.
“But only three ICU beds are in operation now. We don’t have enough health workers to fully utilise our resources here,” said Subedi.
According to Subedi, due to the government authorities’ indifference, the hospital has had to utilise its own internal resources to appoint nine health workers, including eight doctors, on a contract basis.
The Social Development Ministry of Gandaki Province on Monday decided to deploy Dr Bir Bahadur Thapa, a medical specialist, as the medical superintendent of the hospital. However, Thapa has yet to arrive at Danda.
The 49-bed hospital has also set up an isolation ward with six beds. Two Covid-19 patients are receiving treatment at the isolation ward at present.
“We have been operating a Polymerase Chain Reaction laboratory as well for the past three months. More than 1,000 PCR tests have been conducted at the lab so far,” said Dr Gopal Khanal, chairman of the hospital management committee.
The Gandaki provincial government had turned the Madhyabindu Smriti Community Hospital—established 12 years ago with the initiative of local residents—into the District Hospital two years ago, allowing it to run 15 beds.
However, local residents complain that the hospital now operates as a referral centre.
“The hospital does not carry out even minor surgeries, citing a lack of specialist doctors and other trained human resources,” said Madhu Adhikari, a resident of Madhyabindu. “We have to go to Bharatpur to
receive treatment for even minor illnesses.”
It is becoming increasingly necessary for the hospital to operate at its full capacity given the daily uptick in Covid-19 cases in the district, says Subedi.
“We are trying our best to improve the services at the hospital since ours is the only Covid-19 hospital in the district,” he said. “We hope to hear from the concerned authorities soon about the hiring of medical staff at the hospital.”
The district hospital is visited by the residents of Kawasoti and Madhyabindu municipalities and Hupsekot, Binaya Tribeni and Baudikali rural municipalities. According to the hospital administration, around 180 patients—mostly suffering from non-communicable diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes—visit the hospital on a daily basis.
According to Keshav Chapagain, chief at the District Health Office, a total of 2,531 people have been infected with Covid-19 since mid-March last year with 17 new positive cases reported on Tuesday. As of Tuesday, the district has reported 32 deaths.

NEW DELHI,     
India, the country currently being hit hardest by the pandemic,  on Tuesday reported its worst daily death toll, with large parts of the country now under lockdown amid a fast-rising second wave of infections.
The health ministry said 1,761 people had died in the past day, bringing India’s toll to 180,530, still well below the 567,538 deaths reported in the United States, though experts believe India’s actual deaths are far more than the official count.  
The world’s second most populous country is grappling with its biggest public health emergency after it lowered its guard when coronavirus infections fell to a multi-month low in February.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Protection has said all travel should be avoided to India, while Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelled an official trip to New Delhi that had been scheduled for next week, and his government said it will add India to its travel “red list”.
Several major cities are already reporting far larger numbers of cremations and burials under coronavirus protocols than official Covid-19 death tolls, according to crematorium and cemetery workers, the media and a review of government data.    
The crisis in hospitals has left people fighting for beds, oxygen and medicines, and doctors said the shortages will inevitably lead to more deaths.
“The huge pressure on hospitals and the health system right now will mean that a good number who would have recovered had they been able to access hospital services may die,” said Gautam I. Menon, a professor at Ashoka University.    
On Tuesday, the health ministry reported 259,170 new infections, a sixth day over 200,000 and getting closer to the peak of nearly 300,000 seen in the United States in January.
Total cases in India are now at 15.32 million, second only to the United States, with epidemiologists saying far more infectious new variants were one of the main factors behind  the latest surge in cases.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi—who has also addressed Congress party election rallies in recent weeks—said he had tested positive for the virus.
The hardest-hit western state of Maharashtra announced fresh curbs, restricting opening times for grocery shops and vendors to just four hours.
Further north, the capital city Delhi suffered a record overnight death toll following a surge in infections, and began a six-day lockdown late on Monday.
Media reports said the city’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had gone into isolation after his wife tested
positive.    
People in Delhi and towns of the populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh put out desperate calls for help on Twitter, asking for assistance getting their families into hospitals. Others reported dire shortages of oxygen and the anti-viral drug Remdesivir.            
Diagnostics firms in big cities were virtually overwhelmed by the numbers of coronavirus tests being sought, officials said.
Manish Tewari, an opposition lawmaker, said on Twitter that a “monumental tragedy of epic proportions is unfolding across India. No hospital beds, no oxygen, no vaccination.”
Stung by criticism that the government had failed its people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered vaccinations on Monday for anyone above the age of 18 to be given from May 1.
So far, 109.6 million people have received a first dose, according to a government portal, a small portion of India’s 1.3 billion population.

KYIV/BRUSSELS,
Russia will soon have more than 120,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday, calling for new Western economic sanctions on Moscow.
Kyiv, Washington and NATO have been alarmed by the large build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine and in Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Western officials say the concentration of forces is now larger than during that annexation.
“Russian troops continue to arrive in close proximity to our borders in the northeast, in the east and in the south. In about a week, they are expected to reach a combined force of over 120,000 troops,” Kuleba told an online news conference.
“This does not mean they will stop building up their forces at that number,” Kuleba said, warning of what he said was Moscow’s unpredictability.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Monday that Russia had concentrated more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s border and in Crimea.
Kuleba also called for Moscow to re-commit to a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, where Russia has supported separatist forces in a conflict that began in 2014.
Russia has said the build-up is a three-week snap military drill to test combat readiness in response to what it calls threatening behaviour from NATO. It has said the exercise is due to wrap up within two weeks.
Kuleba attended a video conference with EU foreign ministers and said he openly “called on colleagues to start considering a new round of sectoral sanctions against Russia”.
He said he did not feel EU ministers were ready for such a move but he told them that individual sanctions on Russian officials were insufficient.

BEIJING, 
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for more equitable management of global affairs and, in an implicit rejection of US dominance, said governments shouldn’t impose rules on others.
Xi’s speech at an economic forum comes amid rising tension with China’s neighbors and Washington over its strategic ambitions and demands for a bigger role in making trade and other rules.
Without mentioning the United States, Xi criticised “unilateralism of individual countries” and warned against decoupling, a reference to fears US-Chinese tension over technology and security will split industries and markets into separate, less productive spheres with incompatible standards.
“International affairs should be handled by everyone through consultation,” Xi said by video link to the Boao Forum for Asia on the southern island of Hainan. “Rules made by one or more countries should not be forced upon others.”
Xi called for stronger cooperation in research on coronavirus vaccines and steps to make them available to developing countries.
Xi’s comments reflected the ruling Communist Party’s desire for global influence to match China’s status as the second-largest economy and frustration at what party leaders see as US efforts to block its ambitions.
Those sentiments have been fueled by sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump that block access to US processor chips and other technology for Chinese tech giant Huawei and some other companies.
Some of Xi’s comments clashed with Beijing’s stepped-up military activity in the South China Sea and other areas where its territorial claims conflict with those of Japan, the Philippines, India and other countries.
“No matter how far it develops, China will never seek hegemony, expand, seek spheres of influence or engage in an arms race,” Xi said.
China’s military spending is the second-highest after the United States. Beijing is developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, submarines, stealth fighters and other weapons to extend its military reach.

BANGKOK, 
The European Union expanded its sanctions against Myanmar’s military leaders and army-controlled companies ahead of a regional meeting to discuss the worsening crisis after army leaders deposed the elected government.
The Council of the European Union’s latest sanctions target 10 individuals and two military-controlled companies already subject to sanctions by the US, Britain and other governments.
It is unclear if such moves are having any impact as the military escalates its efforts to crush opposition to its seizure of power. Myanmar’s economy is already in crisis, worsened by the coronavirus pandemic and by the mass civil disobedience movement that arose following the February 1 coup.
The EU said the number of individuals sanctioned was expanded to 35 people it said were responsible for undermining democracy and the rule of law, for repressive decisions and for serious human rights violations.
The two military-controlled companies,  Economic Holdings Public Company Ltd. (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corp. (MEC), have vast holdings in many industries and help to  fund the military.
All are subject to having their assets frozen, travel banned and other measures. EU citizens and businesses are banned from doing business or providing funds to them without special permission.
“Today’s decision is a sign of the EU’s unity and determination in condemning the brutal actions of the military junta, and aims at effecting change in the junta’s leadership,” the EU said in a statement.
“Today’s decision also sends a clear message to the military leadership: continuing on the current path will only bring further suffering and will never grant any legitimacy,” it said.
Since the coup, security forces have killed at least 738 protesters and bystanders, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which monitors casualties and arrests. It says more than 3,200 people are still detained, among the nation’s deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.
The EU already had an embargo on sales to Myanmar of arms and equipment that can be used for internal repression; an export ban on dual-use goods for use by the military and border guard police; export restrictions on equipment for monitoring communications that could be used for internal repression, and a prohibition on military training for and military cooperation with the army.
Last week, the US S&P 500 said it was removing India’s Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. from its sustainability index due to its alleged dealings with Myanmar authorities. Adani did not respond to a request for comment on that move.

N’DJAMENA: Chad’s President Idriss Deby has died while visiting troops on the front line of a fight against northern rebels, an army spokesman said on Tuesday, the day after Deby was declared the winner of a sixth term in office. Deby’s campaign said on Monday that he was headed to the front lines to join troops battling “terrorists”. Rebels based across the northern frontier in Libya attacked a border post on election day and then advanced hundreds of kilometres south across the desert. Deby, 68, came to power in a rebellion in 1990 and is one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

PARIS: There’s been a “dramatic deterioration” of press freedom since the pandemic tore across the world, Reporters Without Borders said in its annual report published Tuesday. The group’s new World Press Freedom Index, which evaluated the press situations in 180 countries, painted a stark picture and concluded that 73 percent of the world’s nations have serious issues with media freedoms. It says countries have used the coronavirus pandemic, which erupted in China in late 2019, “as grounds to block journalists’ access to information, sources and reporting in the field.” This is particularly the case in Asia, the Mideast and Europe, the media group said.

MINNEAPOLIS: Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale, a liberal icon who lost one of the most lopsided presidential elections after bluntly telling voters to expect a tax increase if he won, died Monday. He was 93. The death of the former senator, ambassador and Minnesota attorney general was announced in a statement from his family. No cause was cited. Mondale followed the trail blazed by his political mentor, Hubert H Humphrey, from Minnesota politics to the US Senate and the vice presidency, serving under Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. In a statement Monday night, Carter said he considered Mondale “the best vice president in our country’s history.”

LAMJUNG,
Apple farmers in the Himalayan district of Manang are moving northwards to higher elevations to try to grow a new variety of the fruit in a bid to benefit from higher temperatures caused by climate change.
They are experimenting with farming methods by planting a new species in sparsely vegetated areas at high altitudes.
If the experiment succeeds, farmers will be able to harvest apples during the winter season too when this area close to the Chinese border is normally blanketed in snow.  
Agro Manang, which aims to build the biggest apple orchard in South Asia, has been farming apples commercially by using high density farming technology in Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-1, Bhratang.
They are now moving northwards to experiment with new varieties for commercial production on land which is covered in snow round the year.
Agro Manang has piloted the Red Jonaprince variety in Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-5, Sabjey which lies at an altitude of 3,300 metres above sea level, moving up around 500 metres from the usual growing areas in the Himalaya.
The orchard contains 18,000 apple saplings which were planted in mid-April last year, and they are expected to bear fruit for the first time in mid-October.
Fruit producers in the hilly and mountain regions are seeing a rise in temperature. For this reason, the production of apples has shifted to higher altitudes which were formerly unsuitable for growing this fruit, said apple growers.
“All the plants are now in full bloom,” said Yubaraj Gurung, managing director of the orchard which has been named Sabjey Farm.
“We have also planted Gala apples as pollination partners for Red Jonaprince apple trees.”
The new apple orchard is spread over 400 ropanis (20 hectares). Gurung said that 75 people established Sabji Farm. “This year, 9,000 apple saplings have been planted out of the planned 35,000 saplings.”
The farm expects to produce 45 tonnes of apples this October from the first batch of trees.
According to Gurung, the new varieties of apple saplings were imported from Italy. Red Jonaprince apple was first discovered in Holland in 1994. Its mutant is Jonagold. It is called ‘the prince of apples’ in Europe.
Red Jonaprince is watery and hard; it tastes slightly pungent and its inner colour is creamy yellowish. The fruit is large, rounded and conical in shape. The pulp is sweet, crisp and very juicy.
Its outer rind colour is red and gets red very early. Harvest time is the middle of September and October. This apple can be stored very well. Its speciality is that it is a high nutritional value type of apple.
“This variety ripens a little faster than the Fuji variety but a little slower than the Gala variety,” said Gurung. The new apple farm project was started with an initial investment of Rs65 million including with Rs50 million in bank loans.
Tshering Ghale, chairman of the farm, said that Gandaki province had supported them with subsidised apple saplings.
“We received a 70 percent subsidy on 10,770 apple saplings,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Modernisation Project had given a 50 percent subsidy on 4,000 apple saplings.
The local government of the rural municipality has provided a 50 percent subsidy on 3,300 saplings. The saplings are imported from Italy and cost Rs1,150 each, said Ghale.
Senam Gurung, a local farmer, has planted 6,000 apple trees on 120 ropanis of land between Braga and Manang villages of Ngisyan applying ‘high density’ technology. He said that the saplings planted in his orchard in mid-April last year will start bearing fruit by mid-October.
“We import one-year-old saplings from Italy and plant them in Nepal, and they start yielding fruit after another year and a half.”
Agro Manang has been cultivating apples for the last five years. The farm has been growing apples on an orchard spread over 450 ropanis. The saplings are imported from Italy and Serbia.
Agro Manang has produced 400 tonnes of apples this year and has started exporting them. The orchard has different varieties like Gala, Fuji and Golden, which are grown at an altitude of 2,900 metres above sea level.
Apple is grown on 11,186 hectares in Nepal, with an annual output of 31,386 tonnes.
Jumla is the largest apple producing district with an annual output of 6,799 tonnes followed by Mustang with 5,727 tonnes, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

LONDON,
Stock markets slid on Tuesday, with Wall Street continuing to retreat from record highs and Japan fearing a renewed Covid-19 surge.
Both the Dow and the S&P 500 finished last week at new peaks and also posted their fourth consecutive weekly gains, following on the heels of strong data for American housing starts, employment and retail sales.
But analysts said that a combination of some dollar weakness and a lull in fresh data ahead of upcoming corporate results had dampened enthusiasm. “It seems like investors might be having a bit of a second thought up here as US earnings season starts to heat up and peak optimism is beginning to set in,” said Stephen Innes of Axi.
Wall Street’s main indices ended the day lower on Monday, and fell further at the opening of trading on Tuesday, with the Dow giving up 0.4 percent.
“There are some festering concerns about rising coronavirus cases around the world, ongoing lockdown restrictions around the world, and vaccination efforts around the world that aren’t up to full speed for a variety of reasons, including supply problems,” said Patrick O’Hare at Briefing.com.
Japan’s Nikkei ended the day down two percent after investors took in calls for new states of emergency in the Osaka region and possibly Tokyo, prompted by rising case numbers.
The new measures could involve tougher restrictions including asking shops and restaurants to close, according to local media.
“Along with increased new coronavirus infections, the possibility of a state of emergency declaration is growing, which is turning on an amber light for economic recovery,” Okasan Online Securities said in a commentary.

KATHMANDU,
Hosts Nepal succumbed to a three-wicket defeat against the Netherlands in the Tri-Nation Series after they failed to defend one of their biggest totals in the Twenty20 International match at the TU cricket grounds in Kirtipur on Tuesday.
Electing to bat first, Nepal posted 206-6, their second highest T20I total, on the back of half centuries from opener Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee. Chasing the target, the Dutch team made 209-7 with three balls to spare after middle order batsman Bas de Leede scored an unbeaten 81 runs. It was also the highest successful T20I run chase for the Netherlands who had previously made 193 chasing 189-run target against Ireland.
Nepal were 30 runs short of their highest T20I total as they had scored 236 against Bhutan during the South Asian Games T20 cricket in December 2019.
Nepal, who had defeated the same opponents by nine-wickets in the Series opener on Saturday, saw their winning hopes evaporate after they conceded 39 runs in the 18th and 19th over when the Dutch side required 45 runs from 18 balls.
Spinner Sandeep Lamichhane conceded 20 runs in the 18th over and Abinash Bohara conceded 19 runs in the following over at the empty TU Stadium as the spectators were denied entry into the game owing to the ongoing surges in Covid-19 cases.    
“We have learned from the defeat against Nepal and taken positives out of that. It’s a great feeling to win,” said the man-of-the-match De Leede. “Still there are lots of things to learn from today and take them into the next game to be even better.”  
Playing without a crowd, he said: “We came to Nepal expecting a big crowd and it is disappointing to not be able to play in front of them. But we are still here to play and win the game.”  
Earlier, Nepal’s opener Bhurtel scored 62 runs off 46 deliveries.
It was his third half century in a row after his T20I debut against the Netherlands on Saturday. In his
first match, the 25-year-old had scored 62 runs and against Malaysia on Monday. He scored unbeaten 61 runs against Malaysia.
Bhurtel on Tuesday cracked eight fences and a six but his opening partner Aasif Sheikh, who had also completed half centuries in the last two matches, was out for a duck. Bhurtel reached his half century facing 41 deliveries.
Captain Gyanendra Malla who came to bat at number three departed for 20 runs off 14. Bhurtel and Airee played a 78-run partnership for the third wicket before the former was caught by Paul van Meekeren in
14.3 overs.  
Airee, the other major contributor for Nepal, played a quickfire knock of 60 runs from 30 deliveries. He hit three boundaries and five sixes before he was caught by Tobias Visee off Pieter Seelaar in 15.3 overs. Kushal Malla contributed 18 runs off seven. Binod Bhandari remained unbeaten with seven runs while Sompal Kami scored not out 21 runs off 13.
The Netherlands bowler Vivian Kingma and Pieter Seelaar grabbed two wickets apiece. Kingma conceded 44 runs in his four-over bowling while Seelaar gave away 37 runs in his four over haul. De Leede and Aryan Dutt also pocketed one wicket each.
In the run chase, the Dutch side lost their openers Max O’Dowd and Tobias Visee for nine and 15 runs. O’Dowd, who had scored unbeaten 133 runs against Malaysia, was trapped leg before by Lamichhane and Visee was stumped by wicketkeeper Binod Bhandari off the leg spinner.
But Ben Cooper and De Leede led the fearless fightback for the Dutch team. Cooper smashed 55 runs off 35 deliveries and shared a 68-run stand for the third wicket with De Leede. He cracked 10 boundaries before he was caught by Airee off Lamichhane.
The man-of-the-match De Leede played an unbeaten 81 runs off 42 that included seven fences and five sixes. Skipper Seelaar made a remarkable contribution of 31 runs off 15 deliveries. He hit Lamichhane for sixes in the first three balls of the 18th over. He collected two runs in the following delivery before being caught by captain Malla.
De Leede hit sixes to Abinash Bohara in the first and last ball of the penultimate over and boundary in the fifth ball. He hit two boundaries to Karan KC in the second and third ball of the last over to win the match.
Lamichhane pocketed four wickets in his four overs, conceding 48 runs. Karan KC, Bohara and Kushal Malla claimed one wicket each.
Nepal’s skipper Gyanendra Malla was full of praise for the opponents. “The credit for the victory also goes to the way they batted. The game could have been tight had we conceded below six runs in a couple of overs,” he said adding that his side batted as expected.

KANDY,
Sri Lanka have long been feared for their spin bowlers but the team has decided that speed is the future, and it will be tested against Bangladesh from Wednesday.
Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has the most Test wickets and Rangana Herath is the most successful left-arm spinner. But since Herath’s retirement three years ago, Sri Lankan spin has lost its potency.
So Sri Lanka have embraced pace strategy for the two Test series against Bangladesh, to be held in a bio-secure bubble at the Pallekele ground. And the shift towards pace is a long-term strategy, according to skipper Dimuth Karunaratne. “Spin used to be our strength but not anymore,” he told AFP. “Our seamers have done a pretty good job in recent months. We have Suranga Lakmal who bowled so well in the Caribbean and was named player of the series. So we are backing our seamers and see what we can get out of them. The spinners we have are young and raw.”
Lakmal is backed by Lahiru Kumara, who frequently clocks 150 kilometres per hour and is making a comeback having missed a just concluded West Indies tour after testing positive for coronavirus. Lakmal and Kumara are expected to share the new ball with Vishwa Fernando, a left-arm seamer who would provide variety.
Karunaratne said he expects former skipper Angelo Mathews to bowl as well although the veteran has only been used sparingly in recent Tests.
Mathews returned early from the Caribbean for personal reasons and Pathum Nissanka who replaced him scored a hundred on his debut. With Nissanka keeping his place and Mathews returning, one of the batters has to give way.
All the indications are that former skipper Dinesh Chandimal will lose his place. But the hosts could also make Chandimal wicketkeeper and axe Niroshan Dickwella.
Bangladesh have not won a Test match overseas since their victory in Sri Lanka in 2017.
They are without star allrounder Shakib-Al-Hasan, who has taken more than 200 Test wickets and scored almost 4,000 runs. He has preferred the Indian Premier League.
On the greenish wicket, left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman would have been ideal but he too has stuck with the IPL.
Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque, who has scored three of his 10 Test hundreds against Sri Lanka, expects a competitive series even without Shakib and Mustafizur. “Both teams have good pace bowlers. Batting is going to be very important,” he said.

LEEDS,
Liverpool and Leeds players spoke out against the formation of a Super League after the teams drew 1-1 in the English Premier League on Monday.
Leeds defender Diego Llorente’s 87th-minute header denied Liverpool a place in the top four, which might not even matter given the club are one of the 12 behind the creation of a controversial breakaway league that is threatening to split the historic structure of European football.
The Super League could be launched as early as next season, rendering meaningless the race for Champions League qualification that currently involves Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham — three of the six rebel English clubs.
James Milner, Liverpool’s captain for the game, became the first player from one of the so-called founding clubs to criticise plans for the Super League.
“I don’t like it and hopefully it doesn’t happen,” Milner said.
Leeds striker Patrick Bamford said players were in shock at the developments.
“From what I have seen, I haven’t seen one football fan who is happy about the decision, and football is ultimately about the fans,” Bamford said. “Without the fans, football is pretty much nothing and it is important we stand our ground and show football is for the fans and try to keep it that way.”
Liverpool stayed in sixth place, outside the Champions League places, after Llorente’s goal earned Leeds a point the team’s second-half fightback might have deserved.
Sadio Mane stroked the ball into an empty net in the 31st minute from a squared pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold to give Liverpool the lead and put the deposed champions on course for a fourth straight victory.
A win would have lifted Liverpool above West Ham and into fourth place.
Liverpool came in for lots of criticism ahead of the game — from their own fans and those of rivals clubs — for being greedy and damaging the integrity of the English and wider game because of their role in the Super League plans. The club’s American ownership bore the brunt of the criticism but the players were jeered and verbally abused as they arrived at Elland Road.
“That felt a bit unjust,” Milner said.
Leeds’ players wore T-shirts during the warmup, which had the words “Earn it” on the front and “Football is for the fans” on the back — seemingly a message to the rebel clubs.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said in 2019 he was against the formation of a Super League and reiterated that opinion ahead of the game against Leeds.
In his post-match news conference, Klopp said the latest developments would not make him quit as manager and he will try to help to sort it somehow.
“I’m here as a football coach and a manager,” Klopp said. “I will do that as long as people let me do that. I heard today I will resign or whatever. If the times get even tougher, that makes me more sticky that I stay here.”
“I feel responsible for the team, I feel responsible for the club, I feel responsible for the relationship we have with our fans, and that is why it’s a very tough time, I’m sure.”

ARIES (March 21-April 19) ****
How often does the universe give you a day off, Aries? Wednesday’s skies are notably absent of cosmic action—giving you full permission to make it what you will. It’s an ideal day to be leisurely and return to creative personal projects.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ***
Wednesday’s skies slow things down, Taurus. Let yourself lean into the simpler pace, as the lazy Leo moon spends the day keeping to herself. You’re likely to be in a homebody, family-focused—so, honor your desire to pull away.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) ****
As a Gemini, you were born to share your perspective. That concept of communication is key today. It’s an ideal day to devote energy to a writing project or devote effort to any task requiring considerable mental stamina.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) ***
You’re hoping that things will take care of themselves under Wednesday’s skies, Cancer. Yet, the cosmic fuel tank is running low on energy. Keep that in mind that you may not accomplish as much as you initially set out to.

LEO (July 23-August 22) ***
You deserve the pampering you crave, Leo. The moon meanders through your sign all day, making no cosmic connections. It’s an ideal day to prioritize acts of self-care, as you need to treat yourself with the same TLC you give everyone else.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22) ****
Follow your instincts to hide away from the world today, Virgo. Time spent in restorative solitude is key. Take the day off from any major responsibilities in whatever way feels feasible and try to focus on activities that rejuvenate you.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22) ***
As a Libra, it’s critical for you to have ample social interaction, as other people help you to better understand and define yourself. Today might be a low-activity day all around. Focus on your inner circle and let the rest fall into place!

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) ***
The moon floats through self-expressive Leo all day, pointing your attention towards your most pressing career concerns. It’s best to stick to small efforts or maintenance on projects that are already underway.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) ***
The universe is giving you the reins today, Sagittarius. The moon floats through enthusiastic Leo all day, pointing your focus towards the big-picture of your life while stirring your need for refreshing travel and education opportunities.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) ****
It’s important that you pay attention to the emotions bubbling beneath the surface today, Capricorn. Wednesday’s skies offer a moment to pull back and rest, as the moon’s lack of cosmic connections renders the day slow and uneventful.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) ***
What’s going on in the world of your relationships, Aquarius? Luna’s lack of cosmic connections makes for a low-key day all around, suggesting it’s best to hold off on making major commitments that require collaboration with others.

PISCES (February 19-March 20) ***
There’s work to be tackled under Wednesday’s skies, Pisces. Yet, the low energy atmosphere offered up today’s cosmic landscape makes it difficult to plow ahead with your initial plans. So keep your efforts small and manageable.

Kathmandu,
The rhythmic beats of the alarm interrupt my sleep. As I wake up to turn the alarm off, all I see outside my window is darkness and hear the patter of a light drizzle.
It is just 4:30 am. And I want to go back to bed, to enjoy the warmth of my blanket. But I can’t afford to do that today. After months of interacting with Vidhan Karki, we had finally planned to meet today. I was to spend the whole day with him on the sets of a music video shoot.
As a cinephile, the idea of getting time to spend an entire day with a well-known music video director on a set was thrilling. I get a call from Karki not long after I wake up.
“Since it’s raining, there are chances that the shoot might be rescheduled for tomorrow,” he says to me, sounding both tense and calm at the same time.
A part of me is immediately happy: I could peacefully go back to sleep. But a part of me is worried since the rescheduling would mean I would have to reschedule my work, which could affect my whole week. However, even before I can think of what is going to happen, within five minutes, I receive another phone call from Karki, who informed me that the shoot is going ahead as planned.
A professional, well-established music video director, Karki has directed more than seven dozen music videos. And such sudden impromptu decisions are something he does on a daily basis, as a director, he says, after he picks me up at 6 am from my home.
After picking up the song’s singer and his assistant, we drive towards the shoot’s location, Sukute beach, near Dolalghat, Kavrepalanchok, which is almost a two-hour drive away from the city. This is the 82nd music video Karki is directing, yet every project carries the same excitement, he says.
“Even though I have worked for many years I am always nervous, because, for me, every song is a new project that demands rigorous hard work and passion,” he says, handing the script to me.
While I am familiar with the scripts of films, as I have written a few myself, the script that he gives me is something that I had never seen. In two pages, he has dissected the four-minute song into various time frames and has properly mentioned what will be shot in that time, and also briefly written what the actors and the chorus would be doing.
“From the shoot to the pre-production, a music video usually takes around seven days to complete. However, I like to go to a set with full preparation, and I write the script three days prior to the shooting” says Karki, who has been in the business for almost a decade.
Once we cross Banepa, the topic of our conversation shifts to the changes Karki has seen in the Nepali music video industry.
“A lot has changed in the industry in the last one decade. The industry is more technical and professional now, and music videos are produced on the scale of a feature movie and we use the same technologies from cameras to lights,” he says.
There’s truth in what Karki says. Today, music videos are shot in exotic locations and a lot of mainstream movie actors now act in music videos. This, says Karki, has impacted the working style of the industry.
Karki grew up in an era when the music industry was just starting to thrive in the country. From the songs of Nabin K Bhattarai, Ciney Gurung and Deepak Bajracharya to bands like Nepathya, 1974 AD, Kandara, he’s seen the music transform and how, with the advancement of technology, a new wave of music emerged in Nepal, one where visuals played a significant a role.  

Unfortunately, after a few years, the quality of the Nepali music videos started declining. According to Karki, this happened as the industry was unable to meet the expectation of Nepali audience, who now had access to high quality international music videos.
“Even producers hesitated to invest in music videos because the market at the time was very small,” he says.
Things are, however, slightly different and better now, he says. The popularity of YouTube has played a very important role in the development of Nepal’s music video industry.
“For producers, YouTube has served as a very good platform to generate revenue. Producers today are ready to invest more than Rs 15 to 20 lakhs in a single music video, and that has improved the quality of the music video,” he says.
Karki explains that two music videos that he directed managed to earn twice the investment amount in just a few months.
While I am busy listening to Karki and looking at the view outside our car, Karki’s phone regularly rings every now and then.
“Where have you reached? Are the actors behind you? Are the costumes ready? Have the chorus dancers reached the location,” he asks his production manager.
He heaves a sigh of relief; things are going as per the plan. The weather has also changed. The sun is now shining. This makes Karki happy as he can get the desired light he wants for the song, he says.
Once he is free from all the phone calls, we resume our conversation. And this time we start talking about his inspiration.
“I have always been attracted to music videos, especially the commercial ones,” he says.
The world of the music video was so dear to him that even after studying filmmaking in America, from 2016 to 2018, he decided to return to Nepal to resume working as a music video director, he says.
After returning from America, Karki’s popularity in the industry surged. And since then there has been no turning back for him. He has been so busy with his work despite the pandemic, he directed 44 music videos in the last one year and most of his videos were hit on YouTube, with many of them crossing one million views. His biggest hit songs include ‘Naboli Naboli’, ‘Kale Keta 2’, ‘Maile Boleko Chaina’.
And there’s a common approach to all his songs. Most of the stories in the music video revolve around a lover who’s singing for his beloved, or lovers who are poking fun at each other. Similarly, the song never starts playing right after the introductory shot. In most of his videos actors always have a few dialogues.
When I ask him why his works have such elements, he replies by saying that this is his creative approach, his style. “Not all lyrics tell the complete story. During such cases, these kinds of build-ups are required to tell a story,” says Karki
Karki’s videos are always commercial and have very catchy tunes. They might be peppy and make you want to dance, but they aren’t masterpieces, the kind of songs that redefines music.
But that doesn’t mean what he does isn’t art. It requires an equal amount of effort, passion and hard work, he says. “Making commercial music videos is also a form of filmmaking. I like seeing videos that are rich in visuals and transport viewers into a make-believe world,” says Karki.
While I am still not an avid fan of the Nepali commercial songs he is part of, once we reach the set, I see his passion and dedication as clear as day. Just after we reach the set, he starts taking control of everything. All it takes is just one single instruction from him for the actors to start getting ready, the makeup artist to start applying makeup and the choreographer to start instructing the chorus.
“Is this shirt looking good on me?” asks the main actor of the song to Karki.
“Yes, you are looking fantastic,” Karki replies, giving a wide smile to the actor.
Karki explains to me that his role is not just limited to the direction and taking care of technical aspects. He has to take care of everything and everyone on the set.
“A director’s job is also about managing the entire crew”, he says. “You need to also make sure that everyone is fine.”
We end our conversation as the shooting starts. Karki is busy shooting and for almost half a day, besides making small talks with the crew, I observe him. I see him busy, most of the time, either in front of a viewfinder, or talking with actors and the crew, managing the technical and creative aspects of the shoot, and sometimes even acting and dancing and giving instructions to the actors.
But what amazes me the most is his ability to make everyone smile. The set is filled with contagious energy and smiles, and even under the scorching sun, everyone seems to be enjoying their time.
Late in the afternoon, we eat our lunch, and just like that the sun disappears behind a hill. It starts getting darker, however, the shoot is not yet finished. “We still need to complete a few portions. Looks like we’ll be shooting until midnight,” he says to me, finding some time to speak with me in between the shoots.
Finally, around midnight, the shoot comes to an end. “I hope you enjoyed your time,” Karki tells me as we return to Kathmandu. By the end of the 19 hour shoot, I am tired and have very little energy to talk.
However, his energy hasn’t gone down a bit. He resumes talking, driving his car as if his body had been resting the whole day.
“How can you expect a good quality product when you don’t pay technicians well?” says Karki, addressing the issue of why many Nepali music videos and films are of low quality. “In Nepal, actors are paid exorbitant amounts. But no one bats an eye when it comes to paying the technicians and crew.”
But at the end of the day, these are things that we can’t completely change. All we can do is hope for change and even strive for it, which Karki does by passionately working in his music videos, giving his hundred percent.
At 1:00 am, Karki drops me at my home. The sky is still dark, like how I saw it almost a day ago. Just before I close my eyes, I think of Karki. He had told me that he will be travelling to Mustang, the same day for another shoot.
While the songs he directs will still not completely appeal to me, his dedication and passion for his work has inspired me greatly, something that will surely help me in my future.
Like the captain of a ship, I witnessed him taking control of all the storms, all emergencies, and most importantly having the determination to sail the ship, at any cost.