News / Author / Akhilesh Upadhyay

Akhilesh Upadhyay

Articles by Akhilesh Upadhyay

Kathmandu’s record rainfall has cross-border implications

It was the same late-monsoon cloudburst that affected the first two days of the Kanpur Test between India and Bangladesh.

A man walks on a muddy alleyway carrying belongings salvaged from his house in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024 in the aftermath of a flood caused by heavy rains. (AP Photo/Gopen Rai)(AP)

Analysis

Published on Oct 04, 2024 05:32 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Nepal raises concern over attacks on Hindu and Buddhist minorities

In recent days, Nepal’s border guards have intercepted Bangladeshis trying to sneak in through the porous Nepal-India border, though the numbers are small.

West Bengal, Jul 20 (ANI): Students arrive in India from Bangladesh after immigration clearance amid a countrywide protest (ANI Photo)(ANI)

Analysis

Published on Aug 19, 2024 06:34 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Saurya flight crash: What plagues Nepal’s civil aviation sector

While Nepal’s mountainous terrain makes flying difficult, it’s the policymakers on the ground who are far more responsible for its unsafe skies.

People look at the wreckage of a Saurya Airlines aircraft, a day after it crashed during take off at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on July 25, 2024. (Photo by Prabin RANABHAT / AFP)(AFP)

Analysis

Updated on Jul 26, 2024 06:30 AM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

View from the Himalayas | An uphill task for Nepal’s not-so-new PM Oli

PM Khadga Prasad Oli has his task cut out. He doesn’t head an all-powerful communist government as in 2018 and the public is deeply disenchanted with parties

Newly elected Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, right, is being sworn by President Ram Chandra Paudel, left, at the Presidential residence in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, July 15, 2024. Khadga Prasad Oli, the leader of Nepal��s largest communist party, was named prime minister on Sunday following the collapse of a previous coalition government. AP/PTI(AP07_15_2024_000199A)(AP)

Opinion

Published on Jul 16, 2024 08:00 AM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Continuity in ‘neighbourhood first’ policy evident in Modi 3.0

It’s evident that Bangladesh PM’s India visit, the first by any head of government in Modi 3.0, also brings to light Nepal and Bhutan as important partners.

This handout photograph taken and released on June 22, 2024 by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) shows India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands with Bangladesh's counterpart Sheikh Hasina (L) after receiving her at the Presidential Palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on June 22, 2024. (Photo by PIB / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT

Analysis

Published on Jun 27, 2024 07:00 AM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Border dispute, Agnipath scheme irritants in India-Nepal ties

PM Modi’s 10-year engagement has won hearts and minds in Nepal but there are still major irritants in bilateral ties

New Delhi, Jun 10 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' after his oath-taking ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on Sunday. (ANI Photo)(ANI)

Opinion

Published on Jun 17, 2024 06:54 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Nepal's fragmented Parliament struggles with governance amid political turmoil

PM Prachanda's coalition with KP Oli's CPN-UML has been fraught with challenges, while the main opposition, Nepali Congress, continues to mount pressure

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal waves to media after winning a vote of confidence in parliament in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, May 20, 2024. Dahal will continue leading his shaky governing coalition after winning his fourth vote of confidence in two years on Monday. (AP/PTI)(AP05_20_2024_000230B)(AP)

Analysis

Published on Jun 04, 2024 09:00 AM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Why Nepal’s new currency note has reignited discourse over border disputes

The border dispute over Kalapani is rooted in competing interpretations of maps and ground evidence.

Kathmandu: A Rs. 100 Nepal bank note. Nepal government has decided to replace the map of Nepal printed in the background of bank note amounting to Rs. 100 with the new pointed map. (PTI Photo) (PTI05_03_2024_000362B)(PTI)

Analysis

Published on May 06, 2024 10:35 AM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Nepal is a Hindu country but embracing Hindutva is not on its political agenda

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third term in office, how do Nepalis view the elections?

Supporters of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, or national democratic party, wave their flags as they take part in a protest demanding a restoration of Nepal's monarchy in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. AP/PTI(AP04_09_2024_000138B)(AP)

Analysis

Published on May 01, 2024 09:13 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

View from the Himalayas | A fine balance among the Himalayan states

The Himalayas will remain a contested space between India and China; Bhutan and Nepal face an uphill task. Here's why

(FILES) This photograph taken on December 6, 2019 shows tourists walking across a suspension bridge over the Puna Tsang Chhu River in Punakha province in Bhutan. Squeezed between giant arch-rivals India and China, the landlocked mountain kingdom of Bhutan was long isolated by icy Himalayan peaks. But as Bhutan readies to elect a new parliament in Thimphu on January 9, China and India are watching the contest with keen interest as they eye strategic contested border zones, analysts warn. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)(AFP)

Opinion

Published on Apr 02, 2024 08:53 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

How Nepal govt’s new parties must strike a balance in the region

The recent changes in the government’s composition beg the question, how will the Communist-dominated coalition balance ties with Delhi and Beijing?

In a flurry of events last week, the three communist parties came together in the ruling coalition, with Prime Minister Prachanda expelling the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the 275-member Parliament, from the government.(HT Archive)

Opinion

Published on Mar 13, 2024 06:27 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

In Nepal, a worrisome decline in snow and rainfall this winter

It’s been the driest winter in years, but Nepalis are holding out hope that the next few weeks will get some snow and rain to overcome another winter drought

Hills covered with snow is pictured on the way to Lomanthang, a rural municipality in north west Nepal bordering Tibet at Mustang district, Nepal December 15,2023. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar(REUTERS)

Opinion

Published on Jan 22, 2024 07:11 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

View from the Himalaya | What's changed between 2015 and 2023

As Nepal-India sign a historic power deal, the neighbours have come a long way from the terseness that marked the relationship eight years ago

India External Affairs minister S Jaishankar (left) with Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'(PTI)

Opinion

Published on Jan 07, 2024 04:25 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

The impact of a Nepal-Britain treaty on the political map of the subcontinent

The treaty signed on December 21, 1923, at the height of England’s imperial power has served as a guardrail against both India and China

A photograph of King George V (right) with Nepal's Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher Rana in 1911, shown at the 1923 Nepal-UK Treaty Centenary Conference organised at Yala Maya Kendra, Lalitpur, Nepal(Akhilesh Upadhyay)

Opinion

Published on Dec 23, 2023 08:29 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Why are pro-monarchists holding demonstrations In Nepal?

After the fall of the monarchy, secularism and federalism were enshrined. So why are political actors pushing people against these newly enshrined values?

A riot police personnel gets a hit on his helmet during the clash with Pro-monarchist protesters as they protest demanding the restoration of Nepal's monarchy, which was abolished in 2008, saying the governments have failed to make any significant changes in Kathmandu, Nepal November 23, 2023. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar(REUTERS)

Opinion

Published on Nov 27, 2023 09:00 AM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

View from the Himalayas | The ‘Third Pole’ is drying up

From the lap of Mount Everest, UN chief warns the Himalaya is caving in and the reduced water flows in the rivers will impact millions all over South Asia

Mount Everest, the world highest peak, and other peaks of the Himalayan range are seen through an aircraft window during a mountain flight from Kathmandu, Nepal (REUTERS/Monika Deupala//File Photo)

opinion

Published on Nov 02, 2023 09:00 AM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Climate-change sensitive knowledge-gathering for Himalayan rivers is vital

Renowned water resources expert Professor Ajaya Dixit talks about why the climate crisis is the only lens through which we must view the Himalayas

Flood-hit Golitar area in Sikkim. (REUTERS)

opinion

Updated on Oct 06, 2023 06:24 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

View from the Himalayas | Chinese envoy puts Nepal PM on the spot

Nepal's political balancing act between its powerful neighbours is further complicated by the ideological allegiance of its communist leaders towards China.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. (right)(Photo courtesy: Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers)

opinion

Published on Sep 09, 2023 05:42 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

View from the Himalayas | Delhi and Kathmandu: So close yet so far

Reimagined in 2014, India’s Neighborhood First Policy has its doubters in Kathmandu. The lack of tangible progress in power exports is a case in point.

While New Delhi and Kathmandu initiated a 25-year framework agreement on power exports to India during Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s recent India visit, the agreement is yet to be signed two and a half months after the visit(AFP)

opinion

Published on Aug 16, 2023 05:57 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

View from the Himalayas | What will come of China's best laid plans?

While Nepal signed the Belt and Road Initiative framework agreement in 2017, Beijing and Kathmandu view the projects differently

In this file photo, visitors walk past a wall with a map showing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries, at an exhibition in Beijing, (REUTERS)

opinion

Published on Jul 19, 2023 04:34 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Same-same? Not quite: Nationalism brings out complexity of Nepal-India ties

Kathmandu mayor's now-upturned ban on Hindi film, Adipurush for depicting Janaki as ‘Bharatputri’ is a sign of the intimacy and the complicatedness of our ties

Kathmandu mayor Balen Shah (left) first banned the film, Adipurush, from the city's theatres, and then extended it to all Hindi films. The Patan high court, however, upturned the ban.

opinion

Published on Jun 23, 2023 12:50 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Nepal maintains a fine balance

The PM's four-day visit to New Delhi shows his prioritisation of India over China and a breakthrough in power trade talks for Kathmandu, Delhi and Bangladesh

Prachanda visits New Delhi on a reasonably sound political footing(Ajay Aggarwal/HT)

world news

Updated on May 31, 2023 05:52 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

In Nepal politics, a push for the new

In a recent by-election, voters chose a new party in two of three seats. Nepal's ties with India, US and China stand to be affected by the churning. Here's how.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) candidates Rabi Lamichhane and Swarnim Wagle, both of whom won at the recent byelections held in Nepal's Chitwan and Tanahun, respectively.(Wikimedia Commons)

world news

Updated on May 04, 2023 12:02 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

What Nepal president Poudel's visit to BP Koirala Museum says about his politics

Ram Chandra Poudel's visits to the Pashupatinath temple and the Sundarijal jail are deeply symbolic, as they highlight how the veteran leader views Nepal's politics

With Prachanda walking away from the CPN-UML to return to his pre-poll coalition with the NC, stability may be on the horizon in Nepal. For now. (Reuters)

opinion

Published on Mar 15, 2023 04:20 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

The twists and turns of Nepali politics

The post-poll coalition that formed the government had little resemblance to the pre-poll alliance. A new force faces an existential crisis but is fighting back. And two major battles lie ahead

After the election, the Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda took just about everyone by surprise when he decided to desert the ruling coalition. (Reuters)

opinion

Updated on Feb 14, 2023 07:47 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Twist in Nepal poses a new challenge to India

The NC, the largest party in parliament, has been left to lick its wounds. The move will have serious implications both in domestic politics and Nepal’s foreign policy

The coming together of two major Communist parties may push the new government closer to Beijing (AFP)

opinion

Updated on Dec 28, 2022 07:58 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

An uphill battle awaits Nepal’s new head of government

Nepal is set to hold its least ideologically charged election. Whosoever heads the new government in Kathmandu will have his task cut out, both on the domestic and external fronts.

Deuba’s liberal centrist Nepali Congress will fight the elections — Nepal’s second since it constitutionally became a federal State in 2015 — as part of a rainbow alliance. (AFP)

opinion

Updated on Nov 15, 2022 07:10 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Nepal is making efforts to reset ties with India

Nepal’s fluid internal politics and the larger geopolitical situation offer New Delhi a window to reflect on its foreign policy priorities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PM of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba, New Delhi,April 02, 2022 (Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times)

opinion

Updated on Aug 04, 2022 06:42 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

In Nepal, how domestic politics is colliding with geopolitics

The flurry of diplomatic activities is an indication that there is lot at stake here in the fast-emerging Asia-Pacific foreign policy and security architecture. The question is how Nepal will navigate it.

Last month, Nepal’s Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli’s government quietly issued a circular to its administration to replace ‘Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal’ with ‘Nepal’ in its documents. Many saw it as a matter of practicality.(AFP)

analysis

Published on Nov 23, 2020 05:44 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Decoding the India-Nepal dispute | Opinion

New Delhi and Kathmandu must engage each with each other on the border issue

As both sides dig in their heels over cartographic interpretations, a political solution is the only way out. The recent border agreement between India and Bangladesh offers a good example(Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

analysis

Updated on May 29, 2020 07:42 PM IST

ByAkhilesh Upadhyay

Copy

Whatsapp Twitter Facebook Linkedin

Akhilesh Upadhyay

It was the same late-monsoon cloudburst that affected the first two days of the Kanpur Test between India and Bangladesh.

In recent days, Nepal’s border guards have intercepted Bangladeshis trying to sneak in through the porous Nepal-India border, though the numbers are small.

While Nepal’s mountainous terrain makes flying difficult, it’s the policymakers on the ground who are far more responsible for its unsafe skies.

PM Khadga Prasad Oli has his task cut out. He doesn’t head an all-powerful communist government as in 2018 and the public is deeply disenchanted with parties

It’s evident that Bangladesh PM’s India visit, the first by any head of government in Modi 3.0, also brings to light Nepal and Bhutan as important partners.

PM Modi’s 10-year engagement has won hearts and minds in Nepal but there are still major irritants in bilateral ties

PM Prachanda's coalition with KP Oli's CPN-UML has been fraught with challenges, while the main opposition, Nepali Congress, continues to mount pressure

The border dispute over Kalapani is rooted in competing interpretations of maps and ground evidence.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third term in office, how do Nepalis view the elections?

The Himalayas will remain a contested space between India and China; Bhutan and Nepal face an uphill task. Here's why

The recent changes in the government’s composition beg the question, how will the Communist-dominated coalition balance ties with Delhi and Beijing?

It’s been the driest winter in years, but Nepalis are holding out hope that the next few weeks will get some snow and rain to overcome another winter drought

As Nepal-India sign a historic power deal, the neighbours have come a long way from the terseness that marked the relationship eight years ago

The treaty signed on December 21, 1923, at the height of England’s imperial power has served as a guardrail against both India and China

After the fall of the monarchy, secularism and federalism were enshrined. So why are political actors pushing people against these newly enshrined values?

From the lap of Mount Everest, UN chief warns the Himalaya is caving in and the reduced water flows in the rivers will impact millions all over South Asia

Renowned water resources expert Professor Ajaya Dixit talks about why the climate crisis is the only lens through which we must view the Himalayas

Nepal's political balancing act between its powerful neighbours is further complicated by the ideological allegiance of its communist leaders towards China.

Reimagined in 2014, India’s Neighborhood First Policy has its doubters in Kathmandu. The lack of tangible progress in power exports is a case in point.

While Nepal signed the Belt and Road Initiative framework agreement in 2017, Beijing and Kathmandu view the projects differently

Kathmandu mayor's now-upturned ban on Hindi film, Adipurush for depicting Janaki as ‘Bharatputri’ is a sign of the intimacy and the complicatedness of our ties

The PM's four-day visit to New Delhi shows his prioritisation of India over China and a breakthrough in power trade talks for Kathmandu, Delhi and Bangladesh

In a recent by-election, voters chose a new party in two of three seats. Nepal's ties with India, US and China stand to be affected by the churning. Here's how.

Ram Chandra Poudel's visits to the Pashupatinath temple and the Sundarijal jail are deeply symbolic, as they highlight how the veteran leader views Nepal's politics

The post-poll coalition that formed the government had little resemblance to the pre-poll alliance. A new force faces an existential crisis but is fighting back. And two major battles lie ahead

The NC, the largest party in parliament, has been left to lick its wounds. The move will have serious implications both in domestic politics and Nepal’s foreign policy

Nepal is set to hold its least ideologically charged election. Whosoever heads the new government in Kathmandu will have his task cut out, both on the domestic and external fronts.

Nepal’s fluid internal politics and the larger geopolitical situation offer New Delhi a window to reflect on its foreign policy priorities

The flurry of diplomatic activities is an indication that there is lot at stake here in the fast-emerging Asia-Pacific foreign policy and security architecture. The question is how Nepal will navigate it.

New Delhi and Kathmandu must engage each with each other on the border issue

Join Hindustan Times

Create free account and unlock exciting features like