National
Govt forms taskforce to revisit foreign policy
The government has formed a new taskforce to suggest a new comprehensive foreign policy in changed global, regional and domestic contexts. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.Anil Giri
The government has formed a new taskforce to suggest a new comprehensive foreign policy in changed global, regional and domestic contexts. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister will lead the panel with the foreign secretary taking up the role of member-secretary, according to the proposal tabled by the Foreign Ministry.
The panel will be given maximum six months to submit a report that will discuss various international emerging issues before coming up with an agreed text of Nepal’s foreign policy.
It will suggest what kind of relations should Nepal adopt with its immediate neighbours like India and China, with the Saarc countries, relations with multilateral organisations, donor community, economic diplomacy, trade, commerce, security and defence, LDC nations, relations with major powers, labour destination countries and some country specific suggestion that has Nepal’s permanent interest.
To give it a national and creditable texture, the members and ToR of the panel will be finalised and announced by the Cabinet.
According to sources, former foreign secretary and Nepal’s ambassador to United Nations Madhuraman Acharya and former Nepali ambassador to UN, Geneva, Shambhu Ram Simkhada, and Prof Sridhar Khatri will be the member of the panel.
Former Nepal Army General Pawan Bahadur Pandey and Dipak Prakash Bhatta are included as security experts, while Ganesh Gurung has been inducted as foreign employment expert.
Similarly, Rishi Raj Adhikari, foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, is set to represent the CPN (Maoist Centre).
Mohan Banjade, former secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, has been inducted as expert on international law, with Shankar Sharma and Posh Raj Pandey being picked as experts on international trade and economics.
Also included on the panel are former minister and secretary Bidhya Dhar Mallik, a representative from Madhes; Deputy Director at the Institute of Foreign Affairs Indra Adhikari; President of Nepal Council of World Affairs Rajendra Shrestha.
The announcement will be made soon after adding some members from the ruling coalition, including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, according to Minister for Information and Communications Surendra Karki.
The Cabinet also endorsed the visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to China and approved an act commissioning the local level units. The meeting gave approval to the Nepal Police hire 75,000 temporary police for the local level polls and to Nepal Army to purchase two helicopters, Minister Karki said, confirming the approval of a bill related to mandatory life insurance of all Nepali citizens.