Candidate watch: Jatil Karki from Humla

Jatil Karki, 29, represents the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party (PLP) with a platform centred on sustainable infrastructure, social reform, and Karnali-focused development. With a professional foundation in engineering and a history of student political activism, he frames his candidacy around addressing Humla’s physical isolation, entrenched social inequities, and economic stagnation.

A first-time parliamentary candidate, Karki holds a Bachelor’s degree in architecture and engineering. Professionally, he has worked in architecture and civil engineering, including six years as a civil engineer with the National Reconstruction Authority. His technical background informs his emphasis on road connectivity, climate-resilient infrastructure, and environmentally regulated development.

Politically, Karki has been active for over a decade. He previously served as Central Deputy General Secretary of the then-CPN (Maoist Centre) student wing, the All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (Revolutionary), before affiliating with PLP. Since 2010, he has engaged in education, agriculture, and local development initiatives aimed at social reform in Karnali.

Policy and development agenda
Karki’s agenda prioritises connecting Humla, particularly district headquarters Simikot, to the national road network within five years, blacktopping key village roads, and extending the Karnali Corridor to the Hilsa border in the north.

He links infrastructure expansion with environmental safeguards, calling for updated and enforced Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), bio-engineering solutions, and tunnel engineering to prevent landslides and mitigate damage from unregulated road construction.

In education, he advocates establishing specialised technical colleges in engineering, agriculture, and forestry within Humla, alongside smart classrooms and computer labs in all secondary schools. His objective is to reduce outmigration and build local professional capacity.

In healthcare, he proposes creating an “MP Emergency Air Rescue Fund” to provide free helicopter evacuations, particularly for pregnant women, and equipping the district hospital with ICU and dialysis services.

Social reform features prominently in his platform. He calls for institutionalising the end of harmful traditional practices such as Chhaupadi, child marriage, and caste-based discrimination through legal empowerment, ward-level free legal counselling services, and community-led awareness campaigns under a zero-tolerance framework.

Economically, Karki proposes modernising agriculture through ward-level cold storage facilities, climate-smart farming methods such as solar-lift irrigation and rainwater harvesting, and branding indigenous crops under a “Humla Organic” certification. He also supports subsidised loans and skill-based training for female entrepreneurs.

At the regional level, he envisions transforming the Hilsa border into a modern trade and customs hub with China, positioning Humla as a gateway for Kailash-Mansarovar tourism, and developing Limi Valley as a special tourist zone.

In the energy sector, he supports promoting induction stoves to reduce firewood consumption and forest degradation, alongside connecting Humla to the national grid within two years.

Sidebar

Top priority if elected

• Road connectivity: Link Simikot to the national road network within five years; blacktop key village roads; extend the Karnali Corridor to the Hilsa border
• Educational modernisation: Establish technical colleges in engineering, agriculture, and forestry; introduce smart classrooms in all secondary schools
• Social reform: Institutionalise the end of Chhaupadi, child marriage, and caste-based discrimination through legal and community-based mechanisms
• Specialised healthcare: Establish an emergency air rescue fund for pregnant women and ensure ICU and dialysis services are available at the district hospital
• Agricultural modernisation: Build cold storage in every ward and create a “Humla Organic” brand to help local products reach national markets
• Economic hub and tourism: Develop the Hilsa border as a major trade hub with China, promote Humla as the primary gateway for Kailash-Mansarovar tourism, and develop the Limi Valley as a special tourist zone

Major concerns

• Socio-political marginalisation of Humla, and broadly Karnali, reinforced by harmful traditional practices such as Chhaupadi and child marriage.
• Lack of access to quality higher education in the region forcing students to leave Humla for technical education opportunities
• Economic stagnation due to limited market access for local agricultural products
• Need to shift politics from a profession to public service that amplifies ‘Gen Z’ voices and reinvests taxpayer money locally

Previous experiences that best prepare him for the role

• Professional background as a civil engineer, including service with the National Reconstruction Authority
• Over a decade of political activism with experience in youth leadership roles

Goals for the term

• Ensure Simikot is connected to the national road network and extend the Karnali Corridor to the Hilsa border
• Establish specialised colleges for engineering, agriculture, and forestry so Humla’s youth can gain professional skills without leaving home
• Institutionalise the end of Chhaupadi, child marriage, and caste discrimination through legal empowerment and community-led awareness.
• Transform the Hilsa border into a modern trade and customs hub with China while making Humla the premier gateway for Kailash-Mansarovar tourism.