By Ashish Kumar Mandal,Kathmandu, Nepal : At its meeting on Friday, the Council of Ministers decided to recommend names for Nepali ambassadors to 13 countries and send them to the Federal Parliament for parliamentary hearings. As part of moving ahead with appointments to Nepali diplomatic missions that have been vacant for a long time, the government has recommended names for important countries including India, China, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Under the government’s decision, Dr. Nishchalnath Pandey has been recommended for India, Dr. Kalyanraj Sharma for China, and Chiranjung Thapa for the United States. Likewise, former Chief of the Army Staff Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana has been recommended for the United Kingdom, Saru Joshi for Germany, Suresh Kumar Karna for Israel, and Prapti Sherchan for Spain.
Similarly, Jigyan Kumar Thapa has been recommended for Japan, Dr. Padmakshi Rana for Oman, Chudamani Kharel for Malaysia, Prof. Dr. Sangam Shrestha for South Korea, Dr. Manchala Jha for Sri Lanka, and Giribahadur Sunar for Saudi Arabia.
The recommended names will now go through the parliamentary hearing process. After approval at the hearing, the process of obtaining consent (agrément) from the respective countries will begin. Only after that does the constitutional process of the President formally appointing the ambassador to the respective country take place.
The recommended individuals are experts, academics and former security officials with experience in various fields. Dr. Nishchalnath Pandey, recommended for India, is known as an expert on foreign policy and South Asian affairs, and is also the director of the Centre for South Asian Studies. Dr. Kalyanraj Sharma, recommended for China, is an expert on Nepal–China relations and Chinese affairs, while Chiranjung Thapa, recommended for the US, has experience in fields related to national security and international affairs.
Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, recommended for the UK, is a former Chief of the Army Staff. Saru Joshi, recommended for Germany, is described as a migration expert. Jigyan Kumar Thapa, recommended for Japan, is knowledgeable about Nepal–Japan affairs, while Prof. Dr. Sangam Shrestha, proposed for South Korea, is described as an academic working in the areas of international cooperation, climate resilience and water security.
The same meeting also approved the Nepal Citizenship (Fifth Amendment) Rules, 2083 (2026). The fifth amendment to the rules was approved with the aim of making the legal and administrative processes related to citizenship more organized.
The Council of Ministers also changed the ministerial placement of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. The department, previously under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment, will now come under the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, through an amendment to the Government of Nepal (Work Division) Rules, 2083.
The meeting also decided to appoint Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha to the vacant post of Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority. The government made the appointment because the authority’s top leadership post was vacant.
Additionally, the Council of Ministers decided to promote Joint Secretary Rudra Singh Tamang to Secretary at the gazetted special class. With this, Friday’s Cabinet meeting made important decisions concerning diplomatic appointments, the citizenship rules, the jurisdiction of a government body, and administrative and energy-sector leadership.
With these decisions, the process of appointing ambassadors to 13 countries has formally moved forward. However, the final appointment of the recommended individuals will be completed only after the parliamentary hearing, agrément from the respective countries, and the subsequent appointment by the President.
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