The government has recalled ambassadors from 11 countries appointed by the previous government through political quotas. However, the government has not used the other six ambassadors appointed through political quotas. Ambassadors appointed through the Foreign Service also remain in place.
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Eleven ambassadors appointed by the previous government through political parties have been recalled. The government has not used six other ambassadors appointed through political parties. Ambassadors appointed through the Foreign Service also remain in place.
The trend of changing ambassadors after each change of government has continued this time too. On the proposal of Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who also holds the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday's cabinet meeting decided to recall ambassadors from 11 countries. They have been asked to return by 20 Kartik.
There are 34 Nepali ambassadors in various countries, including for 3 permanent missions to the United Nations. According to the ambassador appointment guidelines, there is a practice of appointing 50 percent of ambassadors from the foreign service and 50 percent from the political service. In appointments made from the political side, there is a division of roles among the ruling parties.
Thus, 11 out of 17 ambassadors appointed from the political quota have been recalled. Those recalled are Krishna Prasad Oli (China), Shail Rupakheti (Germany), Dhan Prasad Pandit (Israel), Netra Prasad Timilsina (Malaysia), Ramesh Chandra Poudel (Qatar), Jangab Chauhan (Russia), Naresh Bikram Dhakal (Saudi Arabia), Sunil Nepal (Spain), Chandra Kumar Ghimire (UK), Lokdarshan Regmi (USA) and Durga Bahadur Subedi (Japan).
Ambassador to Japan Subedi is from the Foreign Service. But he was appointed in July 2079 under the political quota when Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Prime Minister. The reason for his recall with 10 months remaining in his term is considered to be the appointment under the political quota. He has already retired from the post of Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassadors Shankar Prasad Sharma (India), Chitralekha Yadav (Australia), Purna Bahadur Nepali (Sri Lanka), Shivamaya Tumbahangphe (South Korea), Sumnima Tuladhar (Denmark) and Kapil Shrestha (South Africa), who were appointed through political quotas, have been retained. Sharma, Yadav and Shrestha were appointed under the Congress quota, while the other three were appointed under the UML quota.
The term of office of ambassadors is four years. However, due to the practice of recalling ambassadors under political quotas after each change of government, only a few get to serve their full term. Those who have been appointed through the Foreign Service (career) have mostly completed their four-year term.
According to an official from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, no specific criteria were prepared and studied to recall or retain ambassadors. The previous government was preparing to recall all 17 ambassadors appointed through political quotas.
Prime Minister Karki was in favor of not recalling Nepali Ambassador to India Sharma right away. After the question arose as to why only one person was left when she was not recalled, it was decided to keep the female ambassador. Then it was decided to keep Purna Bahadur Nepali, who is in Sri Lanka, and Kapil Shrestha, who is in South Africa, as well.
Ambassador to India Sharma is an economist. Sharma was sent to India when Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Prime Minister. The Dahal-led government had decided to recall him last year. He was returned. Later, the Congress-UML coalition government sent him back to India. An official from the Prime Minister's Office said that he was not removed after analyzing the possibility of high-level visit exchanges between the two countries and the need to seek cooperation from India for election preparations.
Shrestha is a person who has made a name for himself as a human rights activist and election observer. Even though they were appointed through political participation, they are not included in the list of former government employees or political party workers. The Prime Minister's Chief Advisor Ajaybhadra Khanal said that although there was a discussion to recall all the ambassadors who were appointed politically, some ambassadors were not recalled considering the needs of the place and their capabilities.
'There was also talk of inclusion. Some are doing good work. They have not been recalled,' he said, 'A new government has been formed under special circumstances. It was also said that the ambassadors who were sent politically by the previous government cannot represent the current government properly.'
Home Minister Omprakash Aryal said that the ambassadors who were appointed on the basis of political participation and whose performance was poor were recalled. 'There will be no immediate appointment in the places where they are recalled. There is no preparation to recommend new appointments. The work will be done by giving acting officials,' he said.
Former Foreign Secretary and diplomat Madhurman Acharya says that those who were appointed through political efforts are also having to return. ‘Yesterday, when the government changed in a normal way, ambassadors were recalled.’ Now, the government has been formed through a movement. Parliament has been dissolved. The government has not changed in a normal way,’ he said. ‘The ambassadors appointed by the previous government may have been understood to not represent the current government. That is why they were recalled.’
He says that it should be considered good if someone is not recalled based on qualifications, capabilities, performance or inclusiveness. He says that increasing political interference and participation in the appointment of ambassadors should be controlled.
