KATHMANDU: The government has recalled six remaining ambassadors appointed by the K. P. Sharma Oli-led government.
With the decision, 17 Nepali embassies are now headless, including those in India, China, the US and others.
A Cabinet meeting on Sunday (April 5) decided to recall the remaining ambassadors appointed under the political quota by the Oli-led government.
The recalled ambassadors are Shankar Prasad Sharma (India), Chitralekha Yadav (Australia), Purna Bahadur Nepali (Sri Lanka), Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe (South Korea), Sumnima Tuladhar (Denmark) and Kapil Shrestha (South Africa).
Ambassadors Sharma, Yadav, Nepali and Shrestha were appointed under the Nepali Congress quota, while Tumbahangphe and Tuladhar were appointed under the CPN-UML quota. They were recommended for ambassadorial posts in August 2025.
The decision was communicated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, which informed the ambassadors.
“The Cabinet has decided to recall the envoys, and we have already communicated to them,” said Lok Bahadur Poudel Chettri, spokesperson at the Foreign Ministry.
The ambassadors have been asked to return within one month from Monday. After the recall, they are expected to make farewell calls with political leaders and senior officials in their host countries and complete logistical formalities.
“Since the election results were out, we had been asking the political appointees to resign. As they did not comply, we decided to recall them,” a minister said.
With the decision, diplomatic missions in 17 countries are now without leadership. The government will need to recommend new ambassadors, followed by the formation of a parliamentary hearing committee, a process that may take several weeks.
Nepali diplomatic missions in 17 countries, including India, China, the US, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia and Russia, are currently without ambassadors.
Two ambassadors appointed under the political quota by the Nepali Congress have yet to submit their resignations and continue reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Shail Rupakheti, recalled from Germany, and Sanil Nepal, recalled from Spain, have been attending the ministry. They were recalled by the outgoing Sushila Karki government.
The new government must appoint ambassadors in India, China, the US, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Israel, Sri Lanka, Spain, Germany, South Korea, Russia, Qatar, Denmark and Malaysia. - The Kathmandu Post/ANN
