Kathmandu, Dec. 21 -- Does anyone voluntarily demote themselves? In a bureaucracy built on hierarchy, power, and survival, such an act is almost unheard of. Yet a few months ago, something extraordinary unfolded inside the boardroom of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

Pradeep Adhikari, then director general of the powerful aviation regulator, himself forwarded an agenda, proposing his own demotion-from director general to deputy director general.

The proposal stunned those present. Adhikari had been appointed director general in February 2022 for a four-year term, picked directly from the 11th to serve in the 13th level.

Now, as his tenure was nearing its end, he formally asked the board to downgrade his own position. This...