Two years after he lost his crown and was compelled to leave the palace of his forefathers to begin life as a commoner, Nepal’s last king Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah has finally ended his silence, saying he was “betrayed”.
The 62-year-old, who being a younger son had no hope of ascending the Snake Throne of Nepal and yet by a twist of fate was crowned twice, only to lead to the abolition of monarchy, says he stepped down in 2006 after a pact with the ruling parties.
However, he says the parties welshed on their pledge and betrayed him. The disclosure, frequently hinted at after he became a commoner, was made during the deposed king’s first full-time interview to a private television station in Nepal.
King Gyanendra, who had been given a red-carpet welcome by royalists on Sunday when he visited the Terai plains in the south to offer ritualistic worship at a Hindu temple, was forced to spend the night in the town due to bad weather. During his sojourn, he bared his heart to Image Television which broadcast the interview Tuesday night, throwing light on the reclusive former monarch’s new life as a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen.
In 2005, the king had sought to take advantage of the political chaos in Nepal and seize power through a bloodless, Army-backed coup. But in 2006, he was forced to hand over power after public protests paralysed the country for 19 days. It had always been hinted that the major parties had offered to save the crown for exchange of the king’s capitulation but went back on their word.
“Many people know about that understanding,” the former king said. “I leave it to the people of Nepal to judge. I don’t have to spell it out.” King Gyanendra also denied that he or the unpopularity of his son, former crown prince Paras, was instrumental in the fall of the royal family.
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Musharraf evacuated from flight
Islamabad : Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was among the passengers taken off a London-bound flight of Virgin Atlantic at New Jersey airport in the US following a bomb scare, a media report said here on Wednesday.
Mr Musharraf and other passengers were evacuated from the aircraft after a security alert about a suspicious traveller and reports of a bomb in the airliner, Geo News said.
The aircraft was later cleared and all the passengers were given the go-ahead to board it. However, Mr Musharraf was taken to a local hotel and accommodated there. A passenger, reportedly from West Asia, bought a one-way ticket on the flight and paid for it in cash. The man was arrested and the channel quoted US security sources as saying that they feared he might pose a threat to the flight.
—PTI