Ex-CEC Uprety nominated envoy to India

Kathmandu, July 16

The government today nominated former chief election commissioner Neelkantha Uprety as Nepal’s ambassador to India. The government also nominated Nepal’s former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Uday Raj Pandey as ambassador to Malaysia.

Upreti will also be serving as Nepal’s non-residential ambassador to Bhutan and Afghanistan, while Pandey will be serving as Nepal’s non-residential ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei.

A meeting of the Cabinet held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers at Singha Durbar took a decision to this effect, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.

As per the constitutional provision, the recommended names will be forwarded to the respective countries for an agreemo following a hearing by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee.

Nepal’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi has been headless since Deep Kumar Upadhyay resigned from the post of ambassador to contest parliamentary elections, while the post of ambassador for Malaysia has been vacant since the return of Ambassador Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat. Gyawali said the new nominations had been made in line with the Ambassador Nomination Criteria approved recently by the Cabinet.

As per the criteria, an ambassador’s main responsibility is working to protect and promote national interest, rising above personal interest.

The government has also put in place a provision whereby an ambassador has to take the oath of office and secrecy from the prime minister.

Eligibility criteria

  • An ambassadorial candidate should be a Nepali citizen aged 35 years or above

  • S/he should at least have bachelor’s degree

  • S/he should not have been sacked from any job making him/her ineligible for public service in future

  • Should not have acquired temporary/permanent residency of any foreign country

  • Should not have been convicted by the court of a crime involving moral turpitude or corruption

  • Should have knowledge of Nepal’s foreign policy, international relations, bilateral and multilateral diplomatic dynamics

  • Should be capable of representing Nepal

  • Should have knowledge of work to be discharged in the deputed country

  • Should have proficiency in English language

  • Should not have conflict of interest with the country to be deputed to

  • Should have no affiliation with NGOs run under foreign assistance at the time of appointment

  • Should have high moral character

  • Should have completed 10 years after retiring from service appointed by a foreign country

  • Should have knowledge of diplomacy, consular services and Vienna Convention

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