Nepal UK
Nepal’s Parliamentary Hearing Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved Gaurav Shumsher JB Rana, a former Chief of the Army Staff, as the country’s next ambassador to the United Kingdom. He was among 10 nominees cleared in the same round of hearings, which also saw the committee reject the nominees for Saudi Arabia and Malaysia and defer the nominee for Japan.
The decisions were announced by committee chair Bodh Narayan Shrestha. Alongside Mr Rana, the committee endorsed Dr Nischal Nath Pandey for India, Dr Kalyan Raj Sharma for China, Chiran Jung Thapa for the United States, Saru Joshi for Germany, Suresh Kumar Karn for Israel, Padmakshi Rana for Oman, Dr Sangam Shrestha for South Korea, Prapti Sherchan for Spain and Dr Manchala Kumari Jha for Sri Lanka. The nominations of Giri Bahadur Sunar (Saudi Arabia) and Chudamani Kharel (Malaysia) were rejected. The reports consulted gave no reasons for either rejection. The Japan nominee, Jigyan Kumar Thapa, was not rejected; Mr Shrestha said the committee had asked the Foreign Ministry for further evidence and clarification about his involvement with local-level bodies.
At his hearing on Monday, Mr Rana presented a work plan with five priorities. They were linking British investment, technology and expertise to Nepal’s development; partnering on the green economy, Himalayan biodiversity and environmental protection; mobilising the Nepalese community in Britain as a “bridge” for Nepal’s development; expanding parliamentary and public diplomacy; and addressing issues connected with British Gurkha soldiers “seriously”. He said his military background and training at the Royal Military Academy would ease military diplomacy between the two countries. Describing his mission, he said, in a translation of his Nepali remarks, that institutional continuity and promoting the national interest would be his main goal.
The reports consulted did not say what specific Gurkha issues he intends to take up, nor when he will take up the post. Nepal’s embassy in London is currently represented by an acting ambassador, Bipin Dwadi, who is due to open a flood-relief art exhibition in the city on Friday. The spelling of the nominee’s name varies between reports, and NepalUK has not yet confirmed it with the Parliament Secretariat or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
