Ambassadorial appointments, mostly after the restoration of democracy in 1990, have not been free from controversy.

A kind of instability has been created in Nepali diplomacy as those appointed in political quotas are recalled after every government change. As per the recent practice, half the envoys are political appointees while the rest are recommended from among career diplomats.

The June 6 decision of the government to recall envoys from 11 countries and Friday’s selection of new faces has yet again raised the question of how long governments will follow the practice that dents the country’s image and makes the conduct of its foreign policy inconsistent.

Former foreign minister Narayan Khadka, who is a leader of the opposition Nepali Congress, argues that if an ambassador does not cooperate and support the government and if someone’s performance is poor, the government can recall them, but they should not be recalled en masse.

The Cabinet meeting on Friday recommended ambassadors for eight countries while it has yet to pick envoys for three other countries.

According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha was under pressure from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and KP Sharma Oli, the chair of the major coalition partner CPN-UML, to recall the ambassadors and make new recommendations.

An official at the PMO said that Shrestha wanted to recall those who have poor performance and to send ambassadors with good profiles and strong careers. “But that wasn’t meant to be and he eventually had to compromise with the prime minister and the UML chair,” the official said.

The recommendation of Bijan Pant as ambassador to the United Kingdom was a major bone of contention between Dahal and Shrestha, said the official. Shrestha did not want to send ambassadors who didn’t have prior experience in diplomacy and international relations. The minister also wanted to avoid sending individuals with controversial backgrounds and those who have gotten repeated opportunities in state affairs, according to sources.

The low point of Nepali diplomacy was when the government recalled Ambassador Shankar Sharma from India two days before Prime Minister Dahal’s visit to New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, said Khadka. “Such decisions are made only by people with zero sense of diplomacy,” he added.

Khadka believes that the decision was taken under Oli’s pressure and that the prime minister should at least have avoided recalling the ambassador from India for a few days. The prime minister could have recalled Sharma after he returned from India, he said.

“Some ambassadors we picked in 2021 were really good. They deserved continuity but the prime minister, whose own term is uncertain, has decided to recall them,” said Khadka. “This shows the level of our diplomacy, a lack of common sense of our leaders as well as the ugly side of our politics and politicians.”

The government on Friday recommended Lokdarshan Regmi, the former chief secretary and Nepal’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, as Nepal’s new envoy to India in place of incumbent ambassador, Sharma.

Sharma was appointed under the Nepali Congress quota in 2021 by the Sher Bahadur Deuba government.

Similarly, the government has named former commerce and industry secretary Chandra Ghimire Nepal’s new ambassador to the United States. The incumbent, Sridhar Khatri, appointed in the Congress quota in March 2022, has been recalled.

Bijan Pant has been named ambassador to the United Kingdom. Pant previously served as a social development adviser to the erstwhile Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, the late Congress leader, and until recently worked as an adviser to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). However, this time, he was chosen as an envoy by the CPN (Maoist Centre) in the party’s quota.

According to a senior Maoist Centre leader, the sudden entry of Pant has sparked discontent in the prime minister’s party.

Former member of the National Human Rights Commission, Sushil Pyakurel, has been recommended for South Korea, according to the Cabinet decision.

Pyakurel, who also served as an adviser to the second President of the country, Bidya Devi Bhandari, will replace Jyoti Pyakurel Bhandari. Sumnima Tuladhar, a noted child rights activist and Executive Director of Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN), has been recommended as Nepal's envoy to Denmark.

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

He was picked by the newly formed Ashok Rai-led Janata Samajbadi Party. The new party also got to pick an envoy for Saudi Arabia, whereby it chose to send Abu Sufayan Khan of Kapilbastu district.

In Malaysia, Netra Prasad Timilsina, a long-time NGO activist, has been nominated under the UML quota. He replaces Dilli Raj Poudel, who was appointed under the CPN (Unified Socialist) quota.

Among others, Pyakurel, Tuladhar and Timilsina have the background of working in the NGO sector.

Of the 11 vacant posts, the government on Friday made recommendations for eight countries. Recommendations for Qatar, Israel, and Portugal are pending.

Those recommended get appointed only after parliamentary hearing.

Ruling partner Rastriya Swatantra Party will have its say in the appointment of two envoys. But party leaders said they are still unclear which country they will get to recommend the envoys for. “We are still clueless about the countries, but we are nonetheless preparing to find envoys for our quotas,” said an RSP leader.

A joint-secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued how the latest episode has again underscored the need for the appointment of more career diplomats. “Political parties may still appoint ambassadors to countries like India, China, and the US, but we must send career diplomats to destinations other than the three countries,” he said.

At present, out of 30 Nepali embassies and three permanent missions, 16 are headed by career diplomats. The career diplomats are leading the Nepali missions in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, France, Germany, Kuwait, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. All three Nepali permanent missions in New York, Geneva, and Vienna are also led by career diplomats.

The joint-secretary said the career diplomat pie should increase from the current 50 percent to 80 or 90 percent, or the instability Nepal currently sees would continue. “The appointment of those with controversial backgrounds and despite their conflict of interest have further eroded Nepal’s image abroad. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be avoided in the appointments this time around as well,” rued the foreign ministry official.

After 1990, there was the practice of recalling ambassadors after government change but the frequency of such changes greatly increased after 2006, said Yuba Nath Lamsal, former ambassador to Denmark.

“If we properly screen ambassadorial candidates before their nomination and send them only after parliamentary hearing, there is no need to recall them so frequently. After all, they have been vetted in the country and have also gotten the required approval, known as ‘agrément’ in diplomatic terms, from the countries hosting them,” he said.

Lamsal stressed the need to stop the frequent chopping and changing of the country’s envoys, in order to boost Nepal’s diplomatic credentials.

The government in 2019 also came up with the criteria for ambassadorial appointment, but that was not followed by successive governments. Point 5 of the criteria, a copy of which was obtained by the Post, states: In view of the principle of inclusiveness, national welfare and the state’s representation, an experienced candidate with an excellent academic record and diplomatic capability will be appointed the ambassador.

Point 6 further states: ambassadors must be capable and have the experience of Nepal’s foreign policy and international relations, and be informed on the dynamics of bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.

Both of these criteria were ignored this time, just like they were in the past. Very few nominees have any kind of diplomatic experience or credentials.

They meet only a few criteria such as being above 35 years of age, holding a bachelor’s degree, not having criminal records and not having been convicted of corruption. However, little attention is paid to avoid the conflict of interest and to meet the criteria of experience in international relations and expertise in the field of diplomacy.

The criteria also states that ambassadorial appointees should hold “country-specific knowledge”. But hardly any of the nominees have relevant experience—professional or academic—on issues related to their host countries.

Lamsal called for making the selection process transparent so that the host country takes Nepal’s ambassador seriously. “No doubt, envoys should be appointed on merit and they should be allowed to work for some time. Changing them frequently only tarnishes the country’s image,” he said. “This corrosive practice must stop.”