The KP Oli government on Monday took a sweeping political decision, appointing three provincial heads, nominating ambassadors to several countries including India, China and the United States, and transferring 22 government secretaries, changing their responsibilities.

According to one minister, the Cabinet decided to reappoint Shankar Sharma as Nepali Ambassador to India.

Sharma was among the 11 ambassadors who were recalled by the previous Pushpa Kamal Dahal government on June 6. Former chief secretary and Nepal’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Lok Darshan Regmi, had been nominated for New Delhi, but his appointment could not be confirmed due to a change in government.

On July 15, after Oli took the oath of office and secrecy, ambassador Sharma was given additional 15 days to pack up and return to Kathmandu.

Though the government has decided to reappoint Sharma to New Delhi, he will have to undergo a parliamentary hearing and again get approval from India, said the minister.

Similarly, Krishna Prasad Oli has been nominated as Nepal’s next ambassador to China. He is currently serving as chairman of the National Trust for Nature Conversation. Oli is also a former member of the National Planning Commission; adjunct professor and professor at Sichuan University and Xizang Minzu University, respectively; and visiting professor at Kathmandu School of Law. The current ambassador to China, Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, appointed under the CPN (Maoist Centre) quota, was recalled on Monday.

Likewise, the government has nominated former chief secretary and Nepal’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Lok Darshan Regmi, as the next ambassador to the US. The immediate past government had nominated Regmi for India. Former commerce secretary, Chandra Ghimire who was nominated by the previous government for the US, has now been picked for the United Kingdom, said the minister.

Sharma has been nominated under the Nepali Congress quota while Regmi and Ghimire come under the CPN-UML quota.

Likewise, Netra Timilsina has been nominated for Malaysia, while former deputy speaker and minister Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe has been picked for South Korea, both under the UML quota.

Besides recalling Ambassador Shrestha from China, the government also recalled ambassadors from Russia, Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka, who were appointed under the CPN (Unified Socialist) and CPN (Maoist Centre) quotas.

Two joint secretaries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rita Dhital and Prakash Mani Poudel, have been picked for Pakistan and Portugal. Dhital is the only female joint secretary at foreign ministry, and Poudel, who was set to retire soon, has been given the responsibility of setting up the new Nepali embassy in Portugal.

The previous government had quashed its predecessor’s decision to appoint Sanil Nepal as Nepal’s envoy to Portugal. Nepal had already been endorsed by the parliamentary hearing committee, but was recalled before he could assume office in Portugal. Now he has been nominated for Spain.

Dr Shail Rupakheti has been nominated for Germany, Naresh Bikram Dhakal for Saudi Arabia, Dhan Prasad Pandit for Israel, Professor Kapil Man Shrestha for South Africa and Kanta Rijal for Australia. Dr Rupakheti is a medical doctor and Pandit is a former chief of the Padma Kanya College. Professor Shrestha is a prominent human rights activist.

Dhakal and Rijal, both appointed under the Congress quota, were recently recalled from Qatar and Israel, respectively.

Ram Krishna Bhattarai has been nominated for Sri Lanka as a replacement for Basudev Mishra appointed under the Maoist Centre quota.

The meeting also removed three provincial heads and appointed new ones, said another minister.

Dipak Prakash Devkota has been named as the new province head of Bagmati, Krishna Bahadur Gharti Magar as the head of Lumbini, and Yagya Raj Joshi as the head of Karnali. They will replace Yadav Sharma, Amik Sherchan, and Tilak Pariyar, who were appointed under the Maoist Centre quota.

Ashok Sigdel, lieutenant general of Nepal Army, has been appointed as the acting chief of the Nepal Army. Chief of Army Staff Prabhu Ram Sharma is retiring on September 9, and Sigdel, the incumbent chief of the general staff, will become the army chief on September 10.

As per the tradition, the serving army chief will be on a month’s leave before he retires.

The Cabinet meeting also transferred 22 government secretaries in one go, said the minister. Most notably, Finance Secretary Madhu Marasini has been appointed to the Office of Vice President. The current revenue secretary, Ram Prasad Ghimire, will serve as the new finance secretary, said the minister, adding that Dinesh Ghimire has been appointed as the new revenue secretary, while Radhika Aryal will be the new secretary at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyay has been transferred to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, and Secretary Rameshwar Dangal, who was at the CIAA, has been transferred to the Ministry of Defense. Mukunda Niraula is new labour secretary and Keshav Kumar Sharma has returned to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transportation. Gopal Sigdel, the secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transportation, has been transferred to the Ministry of Energy.

Likewise, Defense Secretary Kiran Raj Sharma has been transferred to the National Natural Resources and Fiscal Commission, Narayan Prasad Duwadi to the President's Office, and Dilli Ram Sharma of Vice President’s Office to the Public Service Commission.