Kathmandu, Feb. 2 -- UML chair and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli appears to have softened his stance on the September 8-9 Gen Z uprising that toppled the UML-Congress coalition he led.

During and immediately after the protests, Oli had taken a hard line, repeatedly alleging external interference in the youth-led movement and sharply criticising protesters as arsonists. The demonstrations, driven largely by Gen Z activists, accused mainstream political parties and their leaders of corruption, poor governance, and poor service delivery.

What began as a peaceful anti-corruption movement turned deadly on the first day, September 8, when police gunned down 17 unarmed youths in front of the parliament complex at New Baneshwar. In reacti...