The government has extended the tenure of six career diplomats serving abroad to prevent additional diplomatic missions from falling vacant while political appointments remain stalled.
The Cabinet decision instructs the envoys to remain in their respective posts until formal successors are named. The directive applies to six key foreign postings:
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Ghanshyam Bhandari (Bangladesh)
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Bharat Raj Regmi (Austria / Permanent Representative to UN Missions)
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Harish Chandra Ghimire (Myanmar)
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Nirmal Raj Kafle (Brazil)
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Sushil Lamsal (Egypt)
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Tirtha Raj Wagle (Bahrain)
All six diplomats were slated to complete their four-year tenures and retire by the end of August.
Context Behind the Decision
The temporary extensions come as 17 of Nepal’s 34 foreign diplomatic missions are currently operating without a head of mission, run primarily by charges d’affaires. Multiple ambassadorial posts have been empty following past recalls.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Status of Nepal's Foreign Missions │
├────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Total Diplomatic Missions │ 34 │
│ Currently Headless Missions │ 17 │
│ Terms Extended (Career Envoys) │ 6 (Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, │
│ │ Brazil, Egypt, Myanmar) │
│ Selection Strategy │ 50:50 ratio between Foreign Service │
│ │ and political quota │
└────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘
In line with the 50:50 allocation practice between career foreign service officers and political appointees, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited applications through an open competitive process for political quota postings. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal recommended five joint secretaries for career slots, but final political consensus remains pending at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Ministry instructed the six envoys to remain in office to maintain ongoing diplomatic engagement and avoid further administrative bottlenecks in mission operations.