Kathmandu, November 4
The government has once again sent letters to recall ambassadors from 11 countries, defying the Supreme Court’s order.
On Sunday, the Supreme Court issued an interim order halting the government’s decision to recall the ambassadors. However, on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent letters instructing all 11 ambassadors to return.
According to the ministry’s spokesperson, Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri, letters have already been dispatched to all 11 ambassadors. They have been asked to report to the ministry, remaining under its jurisdiction. The ministry’s new correspondence indicates that the government has acted against the Supreme Court’s directive.
On October 16, the Cabinet meeting had directed all politically appointed ambassadors to return by November 5.
Challenging the legality of this decision, a writ petition was filed at the Supreme Court.
After the preliminary hearing, a joint bench of Justices Sharanga Subedi and Shreekanta Poudel issued a short-term interim order instructing the government not to implement the decision. On July 29, 2024, the then KP Sharma Oli-led government had appointed ambassadors to 17 countries, including Australia. Of them, six were retained in their positions.
Generally, the appointment and recall of ambassadors, who represent the government in foreign countries are considered part of the government’s special prerogatives.
The court noted that since parliamentary hearings could not be held under the current circumstances, new ambassadorial appointments were not immediately possible, and thus issued an interim order halting the recall decision.
Following the government’s directive, some ambassadors had already held farewell meetings and purchased flight tickets, but the Supreme Court’s order has left them in confusion.
