ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday congratulated Nepal’s new Prime Minister Balendra Shah on winning the national elections, according to a post on his official X account.
“I congratulate Balen Shah on assuming office as the Prime Minister of Nepal after a landslide victory of Rashtriya Swantatra Party,” PM Sharif added, “Pakistan deeply values its longstanding and friendly relations with Nepal and looks forward to working closely.”
Rapper-turned-politician Shah was Kathmandu’s mayor before he challenged and defeated the veteran Marxist leader KP Sharma Oli, the 74-year-old four-time ex-premier, in his own seat.
Shah not only unseated Oli, but his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) party secured a landslide parliamentary majority, securing 182 of 275 seats in the lower house of parliament.
He gave his victory speech in a rap song ahead of being sworn into office on Friday, where he sang "unity is my national power".
Born in Kathmandu in 1990, he was a schoolboy during Nepal's 1996-2006 Maoist civil war, which killed thousands and eventually ended the monarchy.
Shah trained as a civil engineer but first gained national attention through Nepal's underground hip-hop scene, releasing songs that railed against corruption and inequality.
His music, which has drawn millions of views online, helped him cultivate a devoted following on social media -- a platform he continues to favour over traditional outlets for communicating with supporters.
That popularity translated into a political shock in 2022, when Shah became the first independent candidate elected mayor of Kathmandu, stunning Nepal's entrenched political establishment.
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