The weight of truth

Extension of the probe of state atrocities during Gen Z protests could be a useful tactical retreat.

The ghosts of September 8 and 9 still haunt Nepal after unarmed youth were shot down in a flurry of state-sponsored violence and chaotic reprisal. With 77 lives lost and property worth billions reduced to ashes, the mandate of the High-level Probe Commission led by former Special Court judge Gauri Bahadur Karki is a test of the state’s capacity for self-correction. On Monday, when the government granted the commission its third term extension, pushing the deadline by another 25 days, a familiar ripple of scepticism swept across the public square. Yet, in a country where investigative reports are often drafted only to be shelved, a radical departure from our collective impatience is the need of the moment. The Karki commission should be given the time it needs.