Parliamentary Committee approves ambassadorial nominations for 16 countries

KATHMANDU: The Parliamentary Hearing Committee has approved the names of 16 out of 17 ambassadorial nominees proposed by the government for various countries.

In the meeting held on Thursday at Singha Durbar, the committee approved 16 ambassadors by majority vote out of the 17 nominees.

After the meeting, Committee Chairperson Ishwari Devi Neupane announced that the decision was made after hearing complaints, seeking clarification from the proposed ambassadors, and reviewing their work plans and statements.

The committee held discussions and passed the names of 16 ambassadors.

However, the nomination of Ramakrishna Bhattarai for Sri Lanka was delayed due to incomplete documents. The committee has directed the secretariat to request additional paperwork.

Neupane mentioned that Rastriya Swatantra Party MP Dol Prasad Aryal expressed differing opinions regarding the nominations of Professor Dhan Prasad Pandit for Israel, Prof. Dr. Kapil Shrestha for South Africa, and Dr. Netra Prasad Timalsina for Malaysia.

Similarly, Janata Samajbadi Party, Nepal MP Prakash Adhikari expressed dissent concerning the nomination of Shankar Sharma as ambassador to India.

In response to concerns raised by MPs over the lack of inclusivity in the nominations, Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba was summoned to provide clarification.

Neupane further stated that two ambassadors from marginalized communities had been recommended, namely Madhesi woman Chitralekha Yadav and Foreign Service officer Seva Lamsal.