The government on Thursday recommended Deep Kumar Upadhyay and Leela Mani Paudyal as the ambassadors to India and China respectively.

Upadhyay was Nepal’s ambassador to India until the erstwhile KP Sharma Oli-led government decided to recall him in May. Paudyal is former chief secretary of the government of Nepal. He had earlier served as the consul general in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

The decision to recommend Upadhyay and Paudyal as ambassadors to the two neighbouring countries was taken as per an understanding between the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Nepali Congress (NC). The NC, which wanted to have an ambassador to India from its quota, picked Upadhyay, while Paudyal was chosen by the Maoist Centre.

This is the first decision of the full Cabinet of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal who has accorded high priority to improving ties with both the neighbouring countries. As part of his efforts to strengthen relations with India and China, PM Dahal immediately after assuming office had sent his two deputy prime ministers to New Delhi and Beijing as his special representatives.

Recommendation of ambassadors as the first decision of PM Dahal’s full Cabinet also comes as a reflection of the urgency the government has realised to improve and strengthen ties with the neighbouring countries.

The NC wanted to Upadhyay as the ambassador to India as he was unceremoniously recalled by the erstwhile Oli government. The Oli government in May had asked Upadhyay to return, charging him with playing a role in toppling the government.

The Maoist Centre decided to field Paudyal for his “excellent track record” as a bureaucrat and past experience as the consul general in Lhasa.