KATHMANDU: Former Prime Minister and Nepali Communist Party (NCP) Co-Coordinator Madhav Kumar Nepal has warned that Nepal is facing a growing risk of becoming a “playground for foreign powers,” saying the country’s political trajectory has taken a troubling turn.

Addressing the Pradeep Nepal Memorial Journalism Award ceremony on Thursday, Nepal said national politics was not moving in a positive direction and described the country as being in a state of deep crisis.

He said his party now carries a serious responsibility at a challenging time, arguing that questions are increasingly being raised over Nepal’s sovereignty and national existence.

The former prime minister also urged the government to stop what he called “political spectacles” and instead become more responsive to issues affecting ordinary citizens.

Expressing concern over the rising number of suicides and the hardships faced by the public, Nepal said the government should act with greater sensitivity and accountability toward people’s problems.

He further criticized what he described as displays of state power, saying authorities should refrain from parking vehicles outside media houses and the residences of political leaders as a show of force, calling such actions immature and inappropriate.