The agency also said that it was under the initiative of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, who issued a directive saying that all social networking sites should be treated equally. Oli became the prime minister last month after the collapse of the previous coalition government. The previous government had imposed the ban on TikTok in November last year, saying it was necessary to regulate the use of the social media platform because it was disrupting social harmony and goodwill and diffusing indecent materials. The government has also asked social media platforms companies to register in Nepal, open a liaison office, pay taxes and abide by the country’s laws and regulations. There were several exchanges of communication between the government and TikTok officials in the months leading to the lifting of the ban.

---

Persons: Prithvi Subba Gurung, Khadga Prasad Oli, Oli, China’s ByteDance, TikTok Organizations: National, Agency Locations: KATHMANDU, Nepal, Beijing, United States, Britain, New Zealand