Nepal’s former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was physically assaulted and injured by the demonstrators during the deadly “Gen Z”-led anti-graft protests in September 2025, waves towards his supporters upon his arrival outside Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 13, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba returned to Nepal on Thursday (August 13, 2026) after spending more than five months abroad for medical treatment following injuries sustained during the Gen Z protests last year.
Mr. Deuba and his wife, former Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, were seriously injured during violent protests on September 9, 2025, when anti-government demonstrations led by the Gen Z movement swept across Nepal and resulted in the fall of the K.P. Sharma Oli government.
The couple travelled to Singapore in February for medical treatment.
Mr. Deuba, who is also the former president of Nepali Congress (NC), reportedly stayed in Hong Kong for a brief period as well.
According to his party leaders, Mr. Deuba landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu in the afternoon after completing his medical treatment.
The whereabouts of Ms. Rana remain unclear.
Mr. Deuba was received at the airport by senior NC leaders, including Purna Bahadur Khadka, Shashanka Koirala, Prakash Man Singh and Bimalendra Nidhi, among others.
Hundreds of party activists from across the country gathered near the airport to welcome the former Prime Minister, cheering as he arrived.
In an appeal issued after his arrival, Mr. Deuba said the mountains, green hills and vast plains of the Tarai had called him back home.
The former premier said he has returned not as a leader but as a lifelong citizen of the nation, ready to serve with humility, dedication, and love.
Mr. Deuba, 80, has served as Nepal’s Prime Minister five times between 1995 and 2022 and is a veteran NC leader. He became party president in 2016 and was re-elected in 2021.
During the Gen Z protest, Mr. Deuba was not holding any ministerial position. He was serving as a Member of Parliament and the party president.
Referring to NC, Mr. Deuba said the party is not just an organisation with a history of democracy but one that had survived decades of political struggle while preserving its existence and dignity.
The Balen Shah government had issued an arrest warrant against Deuba and Rana under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. However, it was later quashed by the Supreme Court.
Published – August 14, 2026 02:10 am IST
