Kathmandu, November 2
The Parliamentary Hearing Committee is meeting today to decide on the proposed appointment of Jigyan Kumar Thapa as Nepal’s ambassador to Japan.
According to the committee secretariat, the meeting is scheduled for 3 pm at Singha Durbar.
The parliamentary hearing of the proposed ambassadors was held on October 14. On that day, the committee endorsed only 10 of the 13 nominees recommended for ambassadorial appointments.
The committee rejected the nominations of Giribahadur Sunar, proposed as ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Chudamani Kharel, proposed as ambassador to Malaysia.
The hearing on Thapa’s nomination was postponed after lawmakers raised questions about his permanent residency (PR) status in Japan, saying further examination was necessary.
During the hearing, Thapa clarified that he had already renounced his Japanese PR. However, lawmakers raised questions about the provisions of Article 291 of the Constitution and the period during which he had held PR status.
To clarify the matter, the parliamentary committee sought details from the Japanese government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry also requested the information through Nepal’s embassy in Japan. However, the Japanese government has yet to respond to the letter sent through the ministry.
The committee has called today’s meeting even though it has not received a response.
The parliamentary committee has already endorsed Dr Nischal Nath Pandey as ambassador to India, Dr Kalyan Raj Sharma to China, Chiran Jung Thapa to the United States, Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana to the United Kingdom and Saru Joshi to Germany.
Similarly, the committee unanimously endorsed Suresh Kumar Karn for Israel, Padmakshi Rana for Oman, Prof Dr Sangam Shrestha for South Korea, Prapti Sherchan for Spain and Dr Manchala Kumari Jha for Sri Lanka.
The committee plans to make a decision on Thapa’s nomination by November 5 after seeking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ opinion.
According to Rule 25(2) of the Joint Committee (Working Procedures) Regulations, 2023, the committee must conduct a hearing and forward its decision to the concerned authority within 45 days of receiving the nominee’s name.
If the committee fails to make a decision within 45 days, the nominee is automatically deemed approved, clearing the way for the appointment.
The 45-day deadline expires on November 5. The committee is therefore meeting before the deadline to decide on Thapa’s nomination.
