Ambassador Appointments Delayed As Political Tension Between Prime Minister And Foreign Minister Grows

Nepal's plan to appoint new ambassadors has been delayed as reported political tension between Prime Minister Balendra Shah and Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal continues to affect key government decisions. Although the government has officially said the appointment process is still underway, multiple diplomatic sources claim that disagreements between the country's top two leaders have slowed the approval of new ambassadorial appointments.

During the Cabinet meeting held on July 22, the government decided to extend the terms of six serving ambassadors instead of appointing new ones. The extensions were granted to Nepal's ambassadors to Brazil, Egypt, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Austria after their official terms had already expired.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had recommended extending their terms because replacements had not yet been appointed. Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal personally presented the proposal to the Cabinet after it became clear that the appointment process would not be completed on time.

Five Career Diplomats Still Await Approval

According to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Khanal had earlier proposed the appointment of five senior career diplomats to replace outgoing ambassadors in five countries, excluding Brazil. The recommended officials were Joint Secretaries Kumar Kharel, Bhrigu Dhungana, Ganesh Dhakal, Dilip Paudel, and Bishnu Gautam.

The Cabinet, however, did not make any decision on these recommendations and reportedly placed the names on hold. Diplomatic sources claim the delay is linked to growing differences between Prime Minister Shah and Foreign Minister Khanal.

Neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the Cabinet has publicly confirmed that political differences are responsible for the delay.

Passport Contract Reportedly Behind The Disagreement

According to government and diplomatic sources, the relationship between Prime Minister Shah and Foreign Minister Khanal has become strained over the passport printing contract.

The Prime Minister reportedly supported cancelling an existing contract awarded to German companies Muehlbauer and Veridos and instead favoured awarding the project to the French company IDEMIA. Foreign Minister Khanal, however, is said to have supported continuing with the existing German contractors.

The disagreement became more serious after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority launched an investigation into the passport procurement process. Several officials, including the Director General of the Department of Passports, were arrested as part of the investigation.

While the Foreign Minister was on an official visit to China, reports claimed that pressure had already been placed on him to support changes to the passport contract before the investigation intensified.

Government Says Appointment Process Continues

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not commented on reports that the Cabinet rejected the names recommended by the Foreign Minister.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Kshetri confirmed only that the terms of six ambassadors had been extended. He said the appointment process remains active and that selecting ambassadors requires careful evaluation to ensure candidates can effectively represent Nepal's national interests.

Officials from the Foreign Minister's secretariat have denied claims that the Prime Minister rejected the proposed names. They say the appointments were delayed so they could be processed together after completing parliamentary hearings and other required procedures. According to the secretariat, the appointments could be finalised within the coming weeks.

Foreign Minister Khanal has not publicly commented on reports that the recommendations were put on hold.

Nepal Faces Ambassador Shortage In 22 Countries

Nepal is currently facing one of its largest ambassador shortages in recent years.

The government has already announced plans to close its embassies in Brazil, Denmark, and South Africa as part of the current fiscal year's budget. Even after excluding those missions, ambassador positions remain vacant in India, China, Germany, Japan, Israel, Malaysia, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Australia, Denmark, South Korea, Portugal, and Sri Lanka.

With the terms of five current ambassadors only temporarily extended, Nepal will eventually need to appoint ambassadors to a total of 22 diplomatic missions.

Open Competition Introduced For Ambassador Selection

Earlier this year, the government invited public applications for ambassador positions through an open competition for the first time in Nepal's history. More than 3,000 applications were submitted.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been given responsibility for evaluating candidates and recommending suitable individuals for appointment.

The move was widely seen as an effort to increase transparency, as previous governments were frequently criticised for making political appointments based on party loyalty rather than diplomatic experience.

However, former Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay says Nepal still lacks clear legal standards for selecting ambassadors. He believes transparency is welcome but warns that appointments should ultimately be based on clear qualifications and merit.

Experts Warn Of Diplomatic Impact

Foreign policy experts say long delays in ambassador appointments can weaken Nepal's diplomatic presence overseas.

Although acting ambassadors can continue routine administrative work, they often avoid making major policy decisions or long-term commitments. This can affect Nepal's bilateral relations, economic diplomacy, foreign investment efforts, trade promotion, and services provided to Nepali citizens living abroad.

As the appointment process continues, attention remains focused on whether the government can quickly fill the growing number of vacant diplomatic posts and restore full leadership across Nepal's missions around the world.