In an unexpected move, the government has scrapped the post of consul general in New York, recalling Joint-secretary Madhu Marasini immediately.

A recent Cabinet meeting decided to terminate the post of consulate general in New York permanently. It will now be run by an under-secretary.

All the Nepali Consulate General Offices are headed by joint-secretaries except the one in Jeddha, Saudi Arabia. Initially Nepal provided consular services to Nepalis and foreigners from its Permanent Mission in New York, said a senior Foreign Ministry official. After the US government insisted that Nepal have its separate consular office beyond the premises of the permanent representative’s office, the government later decided to set up the consular office separately.

In the early days, an under-secretary of the foreign service headed the office of the consulate general in New York. Last year, the post was elevated to be headed by a joint-secretary and Marasini was the first to lead it. Expressing surprise at the move, officials said it was not clear why the post of joint-secretary was created then and why it was scaled down now.

“It came as a blow to us,” said an official from the mission in New York over the phone. Marasini has already sought permission for his release from there. According to officials, it is the prerogative of the government to recall its official but scrapping the post did not seem logical given Nepal’s important relations with the United States and Nepal’s place among the 112 consular corps in New York, mostly headed by senior officials.

“The decision also reflects our immature and inconsistent policy as other Nepali consulate general offices are headed by a joint-secretary,” said officials.