Nepal, Feb. 19 -- Nepal has lost one of its earliest and most steadfast champions of women's leadership and public service. Mrs. Kamal Rana, a stalwart of the women's movement, a pioneering parliamentarian and a lifelong social worker, passed away at 12:55 AM on Thursday. She was 98.

As per her wishes, her last rites will be performed at the Electric Crematorium in Pashupati at 12:00 noon.

Born in 1928 in Tansen, Palpa, Kamal Rana was the daughter of Raja Tarak Bahadur Shah and Madan Dibyashori Shah. Raised in a family deeply intertwined with Nepal's political and social history, she grew up at a time when women's public roles were limited, yet her life would go on to redefine those boundaries.

She pursued higher education when few Nep...