The government’s plan to appoint ambassadors to two neighbouring countries before Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to India will not materialise as it takes at least two weeks for the appointment process to complete.

The envoys’ nomination needs to be endorsed through parliamentary hearing. The Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee on Tuesday issued a 10-day notice calling for complaints against the ambassadorial nominees. Anyone can file their complaints disclosing their identity against the nomination of Deep Kumar Upadhyay for New Delhi and Leela Mani Paudyal for Beijing by September 15, the day PM Dahal leaves for India.

“It is not possible to appoint the ambassadors before the PM’s visit as the hearing process takes a long time,” said CPN (Maoist Centre) lawmaker Anit Kumari Pariyar, who is a member of the committee. In addition to the time allotted for filing complaints against the duo, she added, it takes at least a week to study the complaints, to conduct the hearing and for the appointment by the President.

This shows that even if the appointment process goes smoothly, appointment of new ambassadors to India and China is not possible before September 18, when PM Dahal will have completed the visit.

However, given the serious reservation from the main opposition CPN-UML over the nomination of recalled ambassador Upadhyay for the second time, the appointment process could take longer. “We are in consultation to set our position over Upadhyay’s nomination,” said Asta Laxmi Shakya, a UML vice-chairperson and member of the Hearing Committee.

The government on September 1 had recommended Upadhyay and Paudyal as Nepal’s ambassadors to India and China, respectively. Upadhyay, who was appointed the ambassador to India by the Sushil Koirala-led government, was recalled by the erstwhile KP Sharma Oli-led government.

The Oli government had recommended UML leader Mahendra Bahadur Pandey to head Nepal’s mission in Beijing. Immediately after taking charge, Prime Minister Dahal withdrew the political nominations, including Pandey’s, when the parliamentary hearing of career diplomats was ongoing.

The nominees had challenged the government’s decision in the apex court. Their writ was quashed on Sunday, clearing the hurdles for the new appointments.

UML opposes nominations

KATHMANDU: The main opposition CPN-UML has opposed the two ambassadorial nominations made by the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government. Party Chief Whip Bhanubhakta Dhakal on Tuesday said the government announced the names at a time when a case of 14 political appointees was pending in the court.

He also criticised the government’s decision to resend Deep Kumar Upadhyay to New Delhi. “He was recalled by the government where the Maoists were a coalition partner. Now the same party resending him to India is against political norms and ethics,” Dhakal told the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee on Tuesday. Such attempts will disturb the culture of political consensus, he warned. (PR)