Shanker Das Bairagi will take the responsibility of officiating foreign secretary until the government appoints the successor to Arjun Bahadur Thapa, who retired as the foreign secretary on Tuesday.

Bairagi was asked to perform the foreign secretary’s duty in absence of Thapa’s clear successor. He could be promoted to the post of foreign secretary as the existing regulations requires an officiating functionary like him to serve five years before becoming the acting foreign secretary and finally the full- fledged secretary. Bairagi will complete his five years tenure as officiating foreign secretary in April.

While the next-in-line candidate for the foreign secretary’s post remains undecided, attempts are being made by to appoint someone from outside the Foreign Service to fulfill the vacuum.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), however, is not keen on entertaining the idea, arguing that it will undermine the special service and professionalism.

Moreover, the ministry has been lobbying for amendment in the Civil Servant Act 2049 to ensure that only a career bureaucrat from within the Foreign Service could vie for the post of foreign secretary.    

“We are hopeful that the incoming government will consider our amendment proposal that was tabled in the Cabinet in November,” said Foreign Minister Madhav Ghimire.  

The foreign minister has been meeting with top leaders of political parties to secure their vote of confidence in favour of the amendment.

As of now there is just an understanding that serving senior joint secretary at MoFA gets promoted to the post of secretary. There is no legal provision that ensures Foreign Service as separate and specialised service.

If the new government did not amend the act, a joint secretary at the MoFA said, Bairagi will be automatically downgraded to the post of joint secretary and government will have to send someone as foreign secretary that will definitely have far reaching consequences in our service and the ministry.

This acute crisis in the foreign secretary’s post stemmed from the time of Thapa’s precursor Durga Prasad Bhattarai, who after being nominated Nepal’s Permanent Representative to UN, left the post without ensuring any succession plan. Thapa, too, resigned after being nominated the Nepal’s candidate to SAARC Secretary General.