Ambassadors aren’t magicians. No matter how good their PR skills are, it takes time and effort to cultivate good working relations with the officials of their host countries. When a country constantly chops and changes its ambassadors, diplomacy becomes difficult. Nepali political parties have a wretched record of abruptly recalling ambassadors appointed by the previous coalition governments. But Thursday's silly recall of Dr Shankar Sharma, Nepali ambassador to India, must be the most egregious of them all. The Cabinet decided to recall Sharma days ahead of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s New Delhi visit to attend the third swearing-in of Narendra Modi as India’s prime minister. Why couldn’t Dahal have waited until he got back from New Delhi? With what authority would an ambassador that his prime minister clearly does not trust coordinate his India trip? Why the rush, one wonders.

Of course, it is natural for a new government to want to appoint those it can rely on as the country’s envoys. But then our envoys are Nepal’s representatives abroad, whose conduct can make or break the country’s image. This is why only the most capable of them should make the cut. And if the best of the best are chosen, they should be allowed to work for the four full years. This time, the government has recalled not just its Indian ambassador but also its envoys from 10 other countries, including the US and the UK. Notably, these envoys were appointed by the same prime minister before he changed his main coalition partner, from the Nepali Congress to the CPN-UML. This is unfortunate. Political instability has had a devastating impact on Nepali economy as it now struggles to achieve even a modest 4 percent annual growth. It has destroyed our domestic institutions. The same instability is now also affecting our standing abroad. If Nepal’s major political actors cannot send a message of unity and purpose to the rest of the world, how will others trust us? Why would they come and invest in Nepal?

Our relations with major powers like India and the US are not things to be trifled with, at a time of heightened geopolitical competition in the region. In these contested times, the only way Nepal can safely navigate the choppy geopolitical waters is through mature diplomacy. Appoint the right people in the right capitals and give them a free hand. What is particularly strange about the most recent recall of 11 ambassadors is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to have been bypassed, as the decision was apparently made against the advice of Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha. This is not the first time that the advice of the foreign ministry has been sidelined. The diplomatic code of conduct is widely ignored and the ministry continues to be kept out of the loop as our top leaders engage with their foreign counterparts.

Again, even if the ambassadors are to be appointed on political quotas (which they ideally should not), there can be a political understanding to pick the best of the lot and to let them serve out their term. Unless that happens, political instability at home will continue to harm Nepal's foreign conduct, with grave consequences for the Nepali national interest.