KATHMANDU: Former Prime Minister and senior leader of the Nepali Communist Party, Jhalanath Khanal, has criticized the Balendra Shah-led government for allowing a public celebration of the Dalai Lama’s birthday in Kathmandu, calling the move a violation of Nepal’s long-standing One-China policy.

In a statement, Khanal said the government, for the first time in Nepal’s history, had permitted a birthday celebration for the Dalai Lama, whom he described as a separatist leader who fled China in 1959.

He argued that allowing the event at Namgyal Lower Secondary School in Swayambhu undermined Nepal’s diplomatic relations with China and amounted to an anti-national act.

Khanal also criticized the attendance of the ambassadors of the United States, France, Australia and the European Union at the event, describing their presence as “extremely serious and objectionable.”

He further alleged that Western countries were attempting to use Nepal as an anti-China base and warned against allowing Nepali territory to be used against neighboring countries.

Reaffirming support for Nepal’s One-China policy, Khanal said the Nepali people favor maintaining friendly and constructive relations with both China and India.

The former prime minister also criticized the government’s reliance on loans from international financial institutions, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, arguing that such borrowing serves Western interests rather than Nepal’s long-term development.

Khanal urged the government to strengthen cooperation with China, saying closer ties would better serve Nepal’s immediate and long-term national interests.