Government Extends Tenure of Six Ambassadors Amidst Appointment Delays

Kathmandu. At a time when the government has not been able to appoint Nepali ambassadors to 13 countries, the tenure of some ambassadors whose terms are about to end has been extended. The government has started the process of appointing ambassadors but has not been able to finalize it. The Prime Minister's Office has been delaying the names recommended by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for ambassador for several weeks. Meanwhile, the government has extended the tenure of six ambassadors appointed from the foreign service group whose term was ending in August. The cabinet meeting held on Wednesday made such a decision. Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal had recommended six names from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in place of the ambassadors whose terms were ending. According to sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Khanal had recommended the names of Kumar Kharel, Bhrigu Dhungel, Ganesh Dhakal, Dilip Poudel, and Bishnu Gautam in the second week of Ashad. However, the Prime Minister's Office has stopped the ministry's recommendation and decided to extend the tenure of the six ambassadors whose terms are ending. The ambassadors whose tenure has been extended include Ghanashyam Bhandari to Bangladesh, Nirmalraj Kafle to Brazil, Bharatraj Regmi to Austria, Harishchandra Ghimire to Myanmar, Tirtharaj Wagle to Bahrain, and Sushil Lamsal to Egypt. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, 'There is no coordination between the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although it is a matter related to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister's Office does not even ask the ministry for formality when making important decisions.' Employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also appear dissatisfied with the extension of the ambassadors' tenure. The government is selectively recalling ambassadors whose terms have not ended, but the employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have expressed dissatisfaction, saying that the tenure of those whose terms are ending has been extended. The ministry had prepared to recommend employees from the same group for appointment as ambassadors in place of the six ambassadors from the foreign service group whose terms were about to end. The employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are dissatisfied after the Prime Minister's Office blocked the ministry's recommendation. After the Genji movement, the interim government led by Sushila Karki recalled 11 ambassadors at once. After that, the government led by Balendra Shah recalled 6 ambassadors. It has been almost 11 months since 11 embassies became vacant, and more than 5 months since 6 ambassadors were recalled. Out of the 17 vacant embassies, the government has already abolished 4 embassies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has invited applications for 13 embassies on Jestha 14. Although two months have passed since the advertisement was published, the government has not been able to make appointments. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has shortlisted and submitted the list to the Prime Minister's Office, but has not moved forward with further processing. According to foreign ministry sources, all tasks that should be done by the Foreign Minister have been completed, but the appointment of ambassadors is being delayed by the Prime Minister's Office. The extension of the tenure of these six ambassadors has raised suspicions that the government is preparing to further prolong the ambassador appointment process. After the advertisement, the criteria for selecting ambassadors have not even been set. Out of more than 4,000 applications, the ministry has recommended 2700 names. Among them, 13 ambassadors need to be selected.