The government on Friday nominated ambassadors for eight countries, mostly under the quota of the ruling CPN-UML.

According to the Cabinet decision, former chief secretary and Nepal’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Lokdarshan Regmi, has been nominated for India. The government has already recalled the Nepali ambassador to India, Shankar Sharma, through a decision on June 6. Sharma has yet to return home, as he is bidding farewell in New Delhi before departing for Kathmandu, according to the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi.

The government on June 6 recalled from 11 countries the ambassadors appointed by then Sher Bahadur Deuba government in 2021.

Regmi, who previously served as Nepal’s envoy to the United Kingdom from March 2021 to October of the same year, was among those recalled by the Deuba government in 2021. Earlier, he served as chief secretary from October 2017 to September 2020.

He also held positions of home secretary, finance secretary and secretary at the Ministry of Land Reform and Management.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri announced the Cabinet decision on the ambassadorial nominations on Friday evening.

Similarly, the government has named former Commerce and Industry Secretary Chandra Ghimire as Nepal’s new ambassador to the United States. The current ambassador, Sridhar Khatri, appointed under a Nepali Congress quota in March 2022, has been recalled.

Likewise, Bijan Pant has been named Nepal’s new ambassador to the United Kingdom. Pant previously served as social development adviser to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and as an advisor to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) until recently. He was named under the quota of the CPN (Maoist Centre).

Former commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, Sushil Pyakurel, has been recommended for South Korea, according to Minister Giri. Pyakurel, who also served as an advisor to then President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, will fill the vacancy left by Jyoti Pyakurel Bhandari, who was recently recalled from Seoul.

Likewise, Sumnima Tuladhar, a noted child rights activist and Executive Director of Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN), has been named as Nepal’s envoy to Denmark.

In May 2021, the then KP Oli government had nominated 11 ambassadors, including Tuladhar, for Australia. But, just a month after their nominations, in June, Oli was unseated by Deuba, who swiftly revoked those nominations. Ram Swartha Ray Yadav of the Janata Samajbadi Party was recently recalled from Denmark.

Similarly, Pushpa Raj Rajkarnikar has been named envoy to Spain. He will replace Sharmila Parajuli Dhakal. Rajkarnikar is a former member of the National Planning Commission and an expert in trade and financial management.

He has been nominated by the Ashok Rai-led Janata Samajbadi Party faction.

In Malaysia, Netra Prasad Timilsina, a long-time NGO activist, has been nominated under the quota of the CPN-UML. He was recently active in organising the World Social Forum in Kathmandu. Timilsina will replace Dillraj Poudel, who was appointed envoy under the quota of the CPN (Unified Socialist).

Similarly, Absuman Khan of Banke district has been named to serve as Nepal’s envoy to Saudi Arabia under the quota of the Janata Samajbadi Party faction led by Ashok Rai.

Meanwhile, a few envoy nominations under the quota of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and the UML have yet to be made, said a minister.

All the ambassadorial nominees will undergo parliamentary hearings and require approval, known as ‘agrément’ in diplomatic terms, from the respective countries.