NEW DELHI, October 12 (IslamOnline) - Nepal’s major political parties have objected to the dismissal of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Debua last week and appointment of Lokendra Bahadur Chand in his place Friday, October 11.

It was perhaps in reaction to this that Maoist rebels detonated a bomb today, Saturday, right in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, killing one person and injuring nine others.

The sacked Prime Minister said the appointment of the new Prime Minister was an “affront to democracy.” The new Prime Minister is a palace loyalist, who was Prime Minister for a short period in 1990, heading an interim government in late King Birendra’s reign.

Chand, 70, had a longer stint as a prime minister in the earlier days of King Birendra also. Observers feel that Chand’s would be basically palace rule.

After sacking Deuba on October 4, the king had assumed all executive powers and cancelled elections scheduled for November 13. There was some concern in India over the developments. Deuba seemed to have developed some understanding with the neighboring regional power.

That some people in India did not like Deuba’s sacking was evident when a section of the press, in a show of extreme irresponsibility, published the wild insinuation that the king was under the influence of India’s fugitive mafia don, Dawood Ibrahim, accused of serious offences and allegedly hiding in Pakistan.

These publications insinuated that Dawood Ibrahim, an alleged protégé of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), has his pointsman Jamim in Kathmandu who keeps in touch with the king. Indian publications claimed that the sacking of Deuba came following a meeting between Jamim and the king on October 4.

The Nepalese embassy in New Delhi came out strongly against such media reports, saying they had the potential to destroy “excellent relations” between the two countries. To that a government spokesperson in New Delhi said the reports did not reflect government view.

The developments in Nepal are a matter of concern for India because that country is a buffer between China-administered Tibet and India. Already a Marxist, insurgency has destabilised three-fourths of Nepal killing over 5,000 people over the years.

India is keen to ensure that events in Kathmandu do not lead to instability on its borders. New Delhi does not want to go public with its anxiety fearing this may evoke the ire of the ruling dynasty.