Nepalese rebel leader: hot - or not?

KATHMANDU, (AFP) -Nepalese guerrilla leader Prachanda's move into mainstream politics after signing up to the country's recent peace deal has brought unexpected scrutiny of his status as a pin-up.

Weekly news magazine Nepal ran a feature Thursday asking five of Nepal's best known performers, beauty queens and disc jockeys whether Prachanda is hot — or not.

Popular singer Riza Uprety said the rebel leader was "handsome but dangerous," while leading Nepali actress Rekha Thapa said that the revolutionary's eyes had "sex appeal".

Teenage beauty queen Jenisha Moktan said that Prachanda, whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, lived up to his nom de guerre, which means "the fierce one".

"He looks fearsome. Not surprising for a person who had been hiding in the jungles," said Moktan, who was recently voted Miss Teen Tamang.

Some of the questions elicited more serious responses.

When questioned what they would ask if they met the leader, former Miss Nepal Malvika Subba replied: "After all the killings, any guilt pangs?"

Actress Rekha Thapa would ask the moustachioed leader: "What provisions are being prepared for women's empowerment?"Only two of the five women said they would go on a date with the rebel Maoist leader, with the other three claiming he was too old for their tastes.

"Dating? I've heard he has sons older than me. No way," was the former Miss Nepal's response.

Nepal's rebels and government signed a historic peace deal Tuesday to end the decade-long civil war that has decimated Nepal's economy and killed at least 12,500 people.