KATHMANDU: The government on Thursday announced a decision to shut down all unregistered social media platforms in Nepal.

However, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s Secretariat and the ruling UML’s cyber networks have continued to actively use these very platforms.

Information dissemination is ongoing through the Secretariat’s official Facebook page and their operating Balkot page as well as its WhatsApp groups.

Just hours ago, the Facebook page named “PM Secretariat & Balkot” posted photos and updates related to the ongoing second statute convention of the UML party.

The post included images of Prime Minister and UML Chairperson Oli. A night earlier, the same page had shared pictures from the UML Secretariat meeting.

Similarly, WhatsApp groups operated by the Secretariat remain busy sharing updates, images, and videos.

These groups, which include a large number of journalists, have been regularly covering the Prime Minister’s activities.

Photos from today’s statute convention were also circulated through these groups.

The UML’s official Facebook page was active until late Thursday night.

At around 8:45 p.m., the page even broadcast a news bulletin under the title Suryakhabar.

Despite the ban, Prime Minister Oli’s team and a large section of the UML’s cyber cell continue to operate actively on Facebook pages.

Multiple accounts linked to UML supporters and digital campaigners remain live, sharing updates, photos, and videos of party events.

This shows that while the government has ordered restrictions on unregistered platforms, many within the ruling party’s own network are still making extensive use of them.

Prime Minister Oli himself has long been one of the most active political leaders on social media. Since the ban was imposed, however, he has refrained from posting.

His last update came Thursday morning, when he expressed condolences on the passing of folk singer Indira Gole Gurung.

Minister of Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, meanwhile, last posted on September 1 and has never been particularly active on social media.

Gurung has long been critical stance toward social media platforms, often accusing U.S.-based tech giants of disregarding Nepal’s sovereignty and constitutional provisions.

A vocal advocate for restrictions, he has consistently argued that unregulated social media fuels the rise of new political forces and poses challenges to the established parties, including the ruling Congress and UML.

According to party insiders, Gurung has also been quietly lobbying senior leaders in favor of stricter controls, culminating in the recent government ban.

Following the government’s directive, both state-owned Nepal Telecom and private operator Ncell have blocked access to the so-called “illegal” social media platforms.

Other Internet service providers, including WorldLink, have also begun deactivating these platforms.

As the platforms go offline, the number of people downloading VPN services to use google DNS to bypass restrictions has sharply increased.