KATHMANDU, Aug 21: Retired officials from the Nepali Army have increasingly secured key political and administrative appointments as the government formed after the Gen Z protest last September fills vacancies across public institutions.
Most recently, Minister for Infrastructure Development Sunil Lamsal appointed retired Brigadier General Dharmendra Kumar Jha as the ministry’s expert secretary, a position carrying the status of a government secretary. Government guidelines allow the minister to appoint up to five experts with equivalent status.
The government has also appointed former Colonel Dr Anand Singh Bhat as executive chairperson of the High-Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization, which falls under the Ministry of Infrastructure Development. Bhat retired from the Nepali Army in 2073 BS.
Cracks emerge within Gen Z as PM Karki moves to expand cabinet
The appointment drew attention as Bhat was selected despite being ranked second on the ministry’s published shortlist. Dr Bikash Devkota topped the list, followed by Bhat and Sangita Yadav.
Similarly, Prime Minister Balendra Shah appointed retired Brigadier General Dr Devendra Khatri as vice-chairman of the Medical Education Commission (MEC). Khatri, who served as a technical chief in the Nepali Army before retiring in 2077 BS, received his appointment letter from the Minister for Education and Sports in the latter’s capacity as co-chairman of the commission.
Another former military officer, retired Major General Dr Deepak Prasad Bastola, was appointed to the board of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC). However, his appointment later became the subject of legal controversy and was overturned by the Supreme Court after a petition alleged irregularities in the selection process.
The government has accelerated appointments to public bodies following the promulgation of the Ordinance on Special Provisions Relating to the Removal of Public Officials, 2083 BS, on May 2. The ordinance amended 110 laws and removed 1,534 officials from various public institutions. Some of those removals were later reconsidered, with certain officials reinstated.
Sources at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Council of Ministers say more than half of the vacant positions have already been filled, while several appointments remain under consideration.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has annulled the appointment of Maheshwor Bhakta Shrestha as chairman of Nepal Airlines Corporation. A joint bench of Justices Sunil Kumar Pokhrel and Bal Krishna Dhakal ruled that the appointment was inconsistent with legal provisions while hearing a writ petition filed by board member Upendra Bahadur Karki against the prime minister and the Office of the Council of Ministers.
