Shankar Pokhrel Pushes for Stronger Disaster Leadership as Nepal Faces Urgent Recovery Needs

CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel has called for the Prime Minister to take the lead in Nepal’s disaster response, saying search, rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts need stronger coordination and political unity.

Speaking at an all-party meeting at Singha Durbar, Pokhrel emphasized the urgency of finding missing persons, identifying victims, and ensuring that recovery work moves forward without delay. His remarks came as political leaders gathered to discuss the government’s response to recent disasters and the scale of the humanitarian challenge ahead.

The message from the meeting was clear: disaster response cannot be handled in isolation. Pokhrel urged all political parties to stand together and support the government’s efforts, signaling that the next phase of recovery will require both administrative leadership and broad cooperation across party lines.

A call for coordinated disaster management

Pokhrel’s intervention reflects growing pressure for a more organized and centralized response to the aftermath of recent disasters. By asking the Prime Minister to take a leading role, he highlighted the need for a clear command structure that can accelerate search operations, improve victim identification, and streamline rehabilitation planning.

That kind of coordination is especially important in the early stages of disaster recovery, when delays can affect rescue outcomes, relief distribution, and the long-term rehabilitation of affected communities.

Political unity amid crisis

Beyond the operational side, Pokhrel also stressed the need for political consensus. In moments of national crisis, party rivalry often gives way to shared responsibility, and his comments suggest that lawmakers are being pushed to present a united front as the government responds to the disaster.

The all-party format of the meeting itself underscored that expectation. Rather than treating the crisis as a partisan issue, leaders are being asked to focus on practical support for rescue teams, victims, and rehabilitation work.

What happens next

As the recovery effort continues, the main test will be whether the government can translate these calls for unity into faster action on the ground. The priorities are straightforward: locate missing people, identify the dead, support survivors, and rebuild damaged lives and infrastructure.

Pokhrel’s remarks add political weight to that agenda, framing disaster response not just as an emergency task but as a national responsibility that demands leadership at the highest level.