Nepal Speaker Orders Prime Minister Balendra Shah to Face Parliament

House Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal issued a ruling on August 17 directing Prime Minister Balendra Shah to appear before the House of Representatives to answer lawmakers' questions. The directive, the first of its kind since Shah took office in March, schedules a direct question-and-answer session for August 26. This action follows 77 days of protests and obstruction by opposition parties, including the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), who accused the prime minister of avoiding parliamentary procedures.

Tensions centered on remarks Shah made on May 31 claiming that Nepal had encroached on Indian territory. Opposition lawmakers demanded evidence for these claims and criticized Shah for delegating policy discussions to Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle instead of attending mandatory monthly sessions. While Speaker Aryal ordered the prime minister to comply with House regulations, he did not issue a specific directive regarding the border controversy itself.

Under the House of Representatives Rules 2026, each parliamentary party is guaranteed at least one question, with up to 15 additional questions allocated based on party strength. Lawmakers were required to submit their questions in writing to the parliamentary secretariat by 1 p.m. on Friday. Following the ruling, opposition parties suspended their protests to allow regular parliamentary proceedings to resume.