PHC approves 16 ambassadors

KATHMANDU, Sept 19: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee (PHC) has approved the names of 16 out of 17 proposed ambassadors for various countries, as submitted by the government.

In a meeting held at Singha Durbar on Thursday, the committee endorsed the names of 16 ambassadors by a majority vote, out of the 17 proposed candidates.

Committee Chairperson Ishwari Devi Neupane announced that the decision was made after considering complaints from petitioners, the clarifications of the proposed ambassadors, their work plans, and their statements.

The committee approved 16 ambassadors by majority vote. However, some documents related to the proposed ambassador for Sri Lanka, Ram Krishna Bhattarai, were found to be incomplete. Therefore, the committee has directed the secretariat to request additional documents.

Neupane mentioned that Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Dol Prasad Aryal expressed differing opinions on the proposed ambassadors for Israel, Prof Dhan Prasad Pandit; South Africa, Prof Dr Kapil Shrestha; and Malaysia, Dr Netra Prasad Timalsina.

Likewise, Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal lawmaker Prakash Adhikari had differing views regarding the proposed ambassador to India, Shankar Sharma.

In the case of Pandit, a legal matter is pending in the Supreme Court. Aryal argued that Shrestha cannot be appointed ambassador due to a constitutional provision prohibiting individuals who have served as members of the National Human Rights Commission from holding other government positions. In the case of Timalsina, he has filed a case in the Supreme Court against the government.

Shrestha was a member of the National Human Rights Commission from 2057 BS to 2062 BS, while Pandit has been convicted by the Patan High Court. Regarding Sharma, concerns were raised about the guidelines for ambassadorial appointments, which prohibit consecutive terms. Sharma was appointed ambassador to India in Chaitra 2078 but was recalled before completing his tenure by the previous government.

Of the four proposed ambassadors who have courted controversy, Sharma, Shrestha, and Pandit represent the Nepali Congress, while Timalsina is from the UML quota. Chitralekha Yadav has been recommended ambassador under the Madhesi woman quota and Sewa Lamsal from the Foreign Service.

The cabinet meeting on Shrawan 14 (July 29) recommended new ambassadors for various countries. Dr Shankar Prasad Sharma was nominated for India, Kanta Rijal for Australia, and Naresh Bikram Dhakal for Saudi Arabia. Other recommendations included Prof Dr Kapil Man Shrestha for South Africa, Prof  Dhan Prasad Pandit for Israel, and Ram Krishna Bhattarai for Sri Lanka. Shanil Nepal was proposed for Spain, Dr Shail Rupakheti for Germany, and Lok Darshan Regmi for the USA. Chandra Kumar Ghimire was nominated for the UK, while Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe was selected for South Korea. Janga Bahadur Chauhan was recommended for Russia, Ramesh Chandra Paudel for Qatar, and Prof Dr Krishna Prasad Oli for China. Sumnina Tuladhar was recommended ambassador for Denmark, Dr Netra Prasad Timilsina for Malaysia, and Prakash Mani Paudel for Portugal. Likewise, Rita Dhital was recommended for Pakistan.

There is a constitutional provision for the president to appoint the ambassadors after approval by the parliamentary committee.