Tarique Rahman and Balen Shah, stepping forward and back

In recent months, two countries in India’s neighbourhood have framed similar political trajectories. Both Bangladesh and Nepal witnessed popular uprisings that led to the ouster of their leaders: Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 and K P Sharma Oli in September 2025. In both countries, the movements that toppled governments were driven by the youth, who rallied against economic failures, nepotism, corruption, and the erosion of democratic processes. These Gen Z-led revolts ushered in interim governments and culminated in general elections earlier this year. But going by early signals, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman seems more sure-footed than Prime Minister Balendra Shah.

Shah enjoys enormous popularity in Nepal but he also carries the weight of great expectations. His major challenge is to restore not only the credibility of a state but also unity among the people. Yet, less than 24 hours into his tenure, his government arrested former PM K P Sharma Oli, along with former home minister Ramesh Lekhak, for their role in the crackdown on the Gen Z protests. Undoubtedly, the state’s response to the demonstrations, in which at least 70 people were killed, was brutal. Due process, however, must not become a casualty in the new Nepal — the absence of a court warrant to arrest Oli and Lekhak was disquieting. Shah’s move has thus fuelled concerns that he and the Rastriya Swatantra Party may use their parliamentary strength to target political opponents. Going ahead, Shah must remember that he is the leader of those who supported him, and also of those who didn’t. Failure to respect due process and build institutional integrity would not only undermine the legitimacy of his government but also erode people’s trust in the process of justice.

In contrast, since he took over, Rahman appears to have prioritised stability, law and order, and institutional rebuilding over vendetta-driven politics. His government has sought to re-establish its legitimacy across sections of society, unlike theMuhammad Yunus-led interim government, on whose watch Awami League supporters and minorities were targeted. Unity has been the dominant message in Rahman’s first few weeks in office, and he emphasised it in his Independence Day speech on March 26. In the same spirit, he continued the Awami League tradition of commemorating “Genocide Day”, noting that “Pakistani occupation forces carried out one of the most heinous genocides in history” in 1971. For the new leaders in Nepal and Bangladesh, the next few years offer an opportunity to reinvigorate democracy — they must not fail to step up to it.