{"id":25913,"date":"2026-09-21T22:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T16:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eng.dragonmedia.com.np\/?p=25913"},"modified":"2026-09-21T22:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T16:43:11","slug":"the-grayzone-returns-to-spotlight-after-bharat-dahals-arrest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eng.dragonmedia.com.np\/?p=25913","title":{"rendered":"The Grayzone Returns to Spotlight After Bharat Dahal\u2019s Arrest<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lucky Chand<\/strong><\/p>\n

The arrest of political analyst and Trimul Nepal chairman Bharat Dahal on Sunday has renewed public attention on an investigation published by the American online outlet The Grayzone concerning US-funded political participation and leadership development programs in Nepal. The report linked several prominent Nepali political figures to a program supported by American development assistance and raised questions about foreign influence on Nepal\u2019s political transition.<\/p>\n

The controversy has also reopened a wider debate about the transparency of foreign-funded political programs, the distinction between documented activities and allegations of covert intervention, and the legal boundaries of public commentary on investigative journalism.<\/p>\n

Dahal was arrested on Sunday, September 20, from a tea shop in Salkapur, Sundarharaicha Municipality\u20138, Morang. Police said he was taken into custody following a request from the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau and an arrest warrant issued by the Kathmandu District Court. Reports quoting Cyber Bureau Superintendent Dilip Giri said Dahal was under investigation over allegedly false and misleading material disseminated through YouTube.<\/p>\n

However, the complete details of the specific statements, videos and legal provisions forming the basis of the investigation have not been publicly established. It would therefore be premature to conclude that Dahal was arrested solely for sharing The Grayzone\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n

WHAT DID THE GRAYZONE PUBLISH?<\/h3>\n

On September 9, 2026, The Grayzone published an investigative article by Kit Klarenberg and Wyatt Reed concerning alleged links between US-funded political programs and several figures who subsequently emerged as prominent leaders in Nepal.<\/p>\n

The article relied substantially on what it described as a leaked 2019 action plan associated with a US-supported political development program. It named Prime Minister Balendra Shah, Rastriya Swatantra Party chairman Rabi Lamichhane, parliament member Sagar Dhakal and Home Minister Sudan Gurung among figures allegedly identified as emerging civic or political leaders.<\/p>\n

The Grayzone interpreted the identification and development of such individuals through US-supported programs as evidence warranting scrutiny of American influence over Nepal\u2019s subsequent political developments. It connected the alleged action plan with the 2025 Gen Z movement, the fall of the previous government, the emergence of new political leadership and the 2026 electoral outcome.<\/p>\n

These are distinct evidentiary questions. Establishing that a political development program existed does not, by itself, establish that its organizers directed a protest movement or engineered a change of government.<\/p>\n

WAS THE NITI SAMBAD PROGRAM REAL?<\/h3>\n

One of the clearest independently verifiable elements is the existence of USAID\u2019s Niti Sambad program.<\/p>\n

Official USAID project information described a five-year initiative running from 2017 to 2022, with a program budget of approximately US$20 million. Its stated objectives included strengthening the institutional capacity, inclusion, transparency and accountability of Nepal\u2019s parliament, Election Commission and political parties.<\/p>\n

The program was associated with the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening, or CEPPS, whose partners included the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.<\/p>\n

The existence of the program, its stated objectives and its overall funding arrangement can therefore be distinguished from the more contentious interpretations presented in The Grayzone\u2019s reporting.<\/p>\n

The US$20 million figure refers to the program\u2019s overall budget. It does not establish that the entire amount was transferred to any particular Nepali politician, party or organization.<\/p>\n

Determining whether an individual received training, financial assistance or other support would require participant records, expenditure reports, implementation documents and responses from the organizations and individuals concerned.<\/p>\n

AN INDIAN PUBLICATION REPORTED THE NAMES MONTHS EARLIER<\/h3>\n

A significant finding is that discussion of the alleged action plan did not begin with The Grayzone\u2019s September article.<\/p>\n

On March 2, 2026, India\u2019s The Sunday Guardian published a report concerning an alleged 2019\u20132020 action plan linked to the USAID-supported Niti Sambad program.<\/p>\n

The Indian publication reported that the document identified Balendra Shah, Rabi Lamichhane, Sagar Dhakal, Sudan Gurung and the late Ujwal Thapa, a founder of Bibeksheel Nepali, in the context of influential civic leadership.<\/p>\n

It also reported references to Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma as younger reform-oriented leaders, alongside figures including Upendra Yadav, Mahantha Thakur, CK Raut and Ang Kaji Sherpa in discussions concerning engagement with different communities.<\/p>\n

Ranju Darshana and Radha Paudel were also mentioned in the publication\u2019s account of women\u2019s leadership and related social initiatives.<\/p>\n

According to The Sunday Guardian, the alleged action plan included activities such as youth leadership training, forums for younger parliament members, policy dialogue and social media training.<\/p>\n

This establishes that an Indian publication had reported substantially similar allegations about named Nepali figures approximately six months before The Grayzone\u2019s September investigation.<\/p>\n

It does not necessarily constitute independent corroboration of every allegation. If both publications relied on the same underlying action plan, repetition across two outlets would not amount to two separate primary sources.<\/p>\n

The document\u2019s authenticity, complete contents, preparation date and implementation history remain essential questions.<\/p>\n

THE GRAYZONE\u2019S EARLIER NEPAL INVESTIGATION<\/h3>\n

The Grayzone had addressed the subject before September 2026.<\/p>\n

In an investigation published on December 10, 2025, it alleged that US-supported organizations had provided Nepali youth with training related to political leadership, campaigning and movement organization.<\/p>\n

That earlier report discussed purported internal documents associated with the International Republican Institute and examined possible connections between youth leadership initiatives and the 2025 protest movement.<\/p>\n

The September 2026 article expanded the subject by introducing additional political figures, discussing the Niti Sambad program and connecting the allegations to Nepal\u2019s subsequent political leadership.<\/p>\n

Both investigations are therefore relevant to understanding the present controversy. They should not be treated as a single article or as evidence that every claim in the earlier report was independently verified by the later one.<\/p>\n

WHAT DID MEDIA OUTLETS IN OTHER COUNTRIES PUBLISH?<\/h3>\n

The subject appeared in publications outside Nepal and the United States, although their coverage differed in nature.<\/p>\n

The American independent publication ScheerPost republished The Grayzone\u2019s September 9 article on September 10, crediting the original authors and publication. That was a republication of the same investigation, not a separate investigation reaching an independent conclusion.<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s The Canary published an article on December 15, 2025, drawing on The Grayzone\u2019s earlier reporting about American assistance, youth training and the Gen Z movement.<\/p>\n

Italy\u2019s AmbienteWeb also published an Italian-language article in February 2026 concerning the earlier investigation.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s The Sunday Guardian, meanwhile, had reported on the alleged action plan and named Nepali political figures in March 2026.<\/p>\n

The subject was therefore discussed by publications in the United States, India, Britain and Italy. However, it would be inaccurate to say that all these outlets independently verified the same allegations or republished the same September 2026 article.<\/p>\n

Some reproduced an existing investigation, others discussed earlier reporting, and The Sunday Guardian presented its own account of the alleged action plan.<\/p>\n

Nepali responses have also differed. An analysis published by Danfe TV\u2019s English edition on September 13 acknowledged the existence of the US-supported program while distinguishing that fact from the allegation that the United States orchestrated Nepal\u2019s Gen Z movement.<\/p>\n

THE CHINA DIMENSION<\/h3>\n

The Grayzone\u2019s September investigation also placed the alleged US-supported political activities within a broader geopolitical framework involving China, India and American strategic interests in South Asia.<\/p>\n

According to the publication, the purported action plan discussed campaigns and political engagement concerning Chinese infrastructure, investment, technology and Belt and Road cooperation.<\/p>\n

The Grayzone interpreted those references through the wider context of US Indo-Pacific strategy.<\/p>\n

If the original document and the implementation of the activities described in it are authenticated, they would warrant closer examination of the objectives, transparency and geopolitical implications of foreign-funded political programs in Nepal.<\/p>\n

A proposed activity in a planning document, however, is not proof that the activity was carried out. Nor does the existence of a program addressing Chinese investment establish that its participants subsequently acted under foreign direction.<\/p>\n

BHARAT DAHAL\u2019S ARREST RAISES A SEPARATE QUESTION<\/h3>\n

The evidentiary strength of The Grayzone\u2019s investigation and the legality of police action against Bharat Dahal are separate matters.<\/p>\n

Sharing an article published by a foreign news outlet, offering political analysis based on it, and knowingly disseminating material prohibited by law are not necessarily equivalent activities.<\/p>\n

The precise allegations against Dahal, the applicable legal provisions and the specific content under investigation must be established before a reliable conclusion can be reached about the relationship between his arrest and The Grayzone\u2019s reporting.<\/p>\n

The allegations against him remain subject to investigation and legal process. Equally, the fact of his arrest does not authenticate every claim made in The Grayzone\u2019s articles.<\/p>\n

WHAT THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE ESTABLISHES<\/h3>\n

A comparison of the available material establishes several important facts.<\/p>\n

USAID\u2019s Niti Sambad program existed. Its official project information described a five-year initiative with an approximately US$20 million budget and the involvement of CEPPS partner organizations.<\/p>\n

The Sunday Guardian reported in March 2026 that an alleged action plan identified several individuals who later became prominent in Nepal\u2019s political landscape.<\/p>\n

The Grayzone published related investigations in December 2025 and September 2026. Publications in other countries subsequently reproduced or discussed aspects of those reports.<\/p>\n

The unresolved questions are more consequential: What was the actual relationship between the named individuals and the program? Did they receive direct training, financial assistance or other benefits? Which proposed activities were implemented? Is there documentary evidence establishing a causal relationship between those activities and the 2025 protest movement or the subsequent political transition?<\/p>\n

Answering those questions requires access to original records, expenditure details, participant lists, implementation reports and responses from the individuals and institutions concerned.<\/p>\n

Foreign-funded political development programs are a legitimate subject of public scrutiny in Nepal. At the same time, allegations involving named individuals require consistent evidentiary standards.<\/p>\n

The Grayzone controversy is therefore most usefully examined through documents, funding flows, program implementation and verifiable responses rather than treating either the publication\u2019s allegations or their dismissal as settled conclusions.<\/p>\n

Photo: Created by AI.<\/em><\/p>\n

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