Pandey likely envoy to Saudi Arabia

KATHMANDU, April 12: The government has started necessary homework to appoint Udaya Raj Pandey as Nepal´s ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Pandey was a secretary at the personal secretariat of CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal before he was elected prime minister on February 3.

Sources close to Prime Minister Khanal claimed Pandey´s name has been unanimously endorsed within the UML.


“There is no objection from the party regarding his appointment. The government appoint him formally later,” the sources said.

Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government had sent Hamid Ansari as Nepal´s ambassador to Saudi Arabia under CPN-UML quota. The post has been lying vacant since February 1 after Ansari was called back amid allegation that he embezzled the insurance claim money of more than three Nepali nationals who had died in Saudi Arabia.

UML insiders had said Pandey and Milan Raj Tuladhar were the strongest contenders for the post. Since Tuladhar has already started working as foreign relation advisor to the prime minister, Pandey´s has been unanimously endorsed for the position of envoy by the party.

Sources said the government is likely take decision on the appointment ´soon´ as officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the embassy in Saudi Arabia have been demanding the new envoy be appointed at the earliest to handle problems faced by Nepali migrant workers there. Saudi Arabia is home to some 500,000 Nepali migrant workers.

The prime minister´s aides said it would be easy for the prime minister, who also looks after Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to make the appointment.

Paras Ghimire, who is serving as an acting ambassador following Ansari´s return, is desperately waiting to fly back to Kathmandu as he has recently been promoted to the post of joint secretary.

The decision of the government to appoint Pandey as Saudi Arabia´s envoy may, however, force Joint Secretary at the MoFA Hari Kumar Shrestha to go home after his retirement in mid-June. Normally, joint secretary at MoFA get the assignment of ambassador under the quota of ´career diplomat´ before they retire.