The Parliamentary Hearings Special Committee (PHSC) has instructed the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to forward the names of the ambassadorial nominees “for the agreemo” until the House panel completes the hearing of the proposed envoys.
The Parliamentary Hearings Special Committee (PHSC) has instructed the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to forward the names of the ambassadorial nominees “for the agreemo” until the House panel completes the hearing of the proposed envoys.
The PHSC is scheduled to start hearing of the ambassadorial nominees Tuesday.
During a meeting with Chief Secretary Som Lal Subedi and Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi, members of the House panel drew their attention to a government decision to forward the names of the proposed envoys to respective countries.
The Cabinet on April 19 had recommended 21 names as ambassadors for different missions. Their hearing, however, was not possible in the absence of the PHSC, which was constituted only in June.
Citing international practice, Foreign Secretary Bairagi told the hearing committee members that the government had decided to send the names for the agreemo. But decision was not implemented, he said.
Chief Secretary Subedi, on his part, said the foreign secretary had “overlooked the procedure”.
Bairagi, however, said since the PHSC had already come into being, the names were not sent for the agreemo despite the government deciding to do so.
But nonetheless, PHSC members pulled up the government for its decision, saying such a move undermined Parliament and parliamentary proceedings.
Parliamentary hearing is a mandatory constitutional provision.
Hearing starts today
KATHMANDU: The Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee is set to start hearing of ambassadorial nominees—from among the career diplomats—on Tuesday. Sewa Adhikari, ambassador nominee for Pakistan, Tara Prasad Pokhrel, nominee for Brazil, Prakash Subedi, nominee for Austria and Durga Bahadur Subedi, ambassador nominee for the United Kingdom are set to appear before the PHSC on Tuesday for their hearing. The government on April 19 had nominated 21 persons as ambassadors for different countries. Eight names were selected from among career diplomats while 13 others were “split’ among the governing parties.
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