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Kathmandu, April 20
The government yesterday recommended 21 individuals to be appointed Nepal’s envoys to different missions abroad. While most of the nominees have an announced political allegiance, there are some who have already served as members of the Cabinet.
Following the nomination of former ministers Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Niranjan Thapa and Yubraj Karki, a debate has ensued over the nomination of former ministers as ambassadors, especially because the position of ambassador is equivalent to that of Nepal’s government’s joint secretary.
But this is not the first time that a former minister has been named ambassador. Congress leader Chakra Bastola, who had already serves as minister, was appointed ambassador to India.
In fact, there was a time in Nepal’s history when a former Prime Minister was appointed ambassador!
According to diplomat Jayraj Acharya, Matrika Prasad Koirala, the Nepali Congress founding member who became Prime Minister twice in after the fall of the Rana regime (in 1951 and 1953), was appointed Nepal’s ambassador to the US in 1961.
Why did Mahendra choose Matrika?
Following the royal take-over in 1961, then King Mahendra made Koirala, who was in prison along with other political leaders, an offer. According to the offer, Koirala would have to go the US as Nepal’s envoy, and stay there for four years, if he wanted to leave prison, remembers Koirala’s son Kamal.
Koirala completed his tenure in office in 1964. He passed away following a cardiac arrest in 1997.
