Kalam Weekly

Read our latest deep dive that explores on why and how women are consistently sidelined in the Nepali political process. (3/3) api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

Read our latest deep dive that explores on why and how women are consistently sidelined in the Nepali political process. (3/3) api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

Until parties confront not just the absence of women, but the institutions that systematically privilege certain men and a narrow circle of elite women, inclusion will remain managed, uneven, and incomplete. (2/3)

The constitution requires that at least one-third of each party’s members in the Parliament be women, but parties across the board tend to field a minimal number of women in direct elections, instead meeting the constitutional provision through proportional representation. (1/3)

My pre‑poll piece, originally published in @HimalSouthasian and @WeeklyKalam, and republished here in Internazionale. Published before the vote — less an attempt at prediction than a reading of the stress points.
*Govt formation still a week away* internazionale.it/notizie/sanjee…

Read the full newsletter here👇 api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

In honor of Women’s Month, we have an illuminating account of Nepali women in politics and the reasons why they keep getting sidelined in the political process.

Armed with a near two-thirds majority and broad-based support from the people, the RSP has the mandate to effect lasting change and realize the ambitions of the Nepali people. The coming 100 days will portend what the next five years might look like. api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

This week’s deep dive looks at what’s next for Balen Shah and the RSP which includes: addressing impunity, tackling corruption, shaping foreign policy, strengthening the economy and job creation, and improving public service delivery. api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

Inisha BK’s case is a stark reminder that sexual violence remains widespread in Nepal. Patriarchy, institutional failures, and the stigma around speaking out make it far too easy for perpetrators to escape accountability and far too hard for survivors to find justice. (2/2)

Sexual violence is distressingly common in Nepal. Last fiscal year alone, Nepal Police reported 3,441 cases of sexual violence, including 2,507 cases of rape. Over 64% of victims were girls aged 18 or younger. (1/2)

Armed with a near two-thirds majority and broad-based support from the Nepali public, RSP has the mandate to effect lasting change and realize the ambitions of the Nepali people. This week, read our deep dive on what’s next for Balen Shah and the RSP. api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

Today is the last day to apply!

Elections concluded peacefully and fairly on March 5 with a 60 percent voter turnout. We discuss what the new political arrangement will look like and the tasks it faces. Read the full analysis here 👇 api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

Including the works of Agnes Varda, to Woolf, Saba Mahmood, and Satyajit Ray—revisit our curated list of women-centric media (literature, film, music, articles) this Women’s month. api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

Revisit our guest write-up by Asmita Pandey, co-founder of Women Walk at Midnight, a movement where women walk the city after dark. She explores why it matters and what it reveals about state control over women’s mobility and agency. api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

In Nepal’s 2026 election, only 395 women contested for the direct elections. Online abuse, combined with patriarchy, continues to skew the political field against them. Last week, we covered the harassment and abuse women candidates were facing online. api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

Just days before the polls, I wrote a commentary for @WeeklyKalam — A majority government under Shah could produce pace, but if not institutionally grounded, it risks undermining the very norms that make reform lasting. Nepal's democratic stress test api.omarshehata.me/substack-proxy…

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