Nepal's envoy to Delhi yet to get appointment

More than two months after Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala named his niece as India's ambassador despite opposition from his allies and the Maoists, Shailaja Acharya is yet to get her appointment.

The initial delay was attributed to continued infighting among the ruling parties and Maoists over sharing the spoils of top diplomatic assignments.

Koirala named his niece Acharya as ambassador to India, the country with which Nepal has the largest trade, overriding opposition from his own party and others on the ground that she had supported King Gyanendra's interference in Nepal's politics and stayed away from the pro-democracy movement that forced the king to quit.

Finally, though the prime minister was able to have his own way, Acharya's appointment is yet to be made formally due to the delay in getting the agreemo, or formal consent, from New Delhi.

Meanwhile, eight other countries, including China, have forwarded their "no objection" letters for the respective nominees, paving the way for their appointment. The countries include Britain, the US, Bangladesh, Japan, Russia and Qatar.

However, India is yet to send its consent, along with Pakistan, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and some others.

The Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, is scheduled to return to Kathmandu from New Delhi Monday. It remains to be seen if his return will see the South Block agreemo reaching Nepal's foreign ministry.

Further delays are likely to trigger speculation that India is using the diplomatic weapon to mount pressure on Koirala to hold the twice-stalled constituent assembly election at the earliest.

On the other hand, procedures have progressed considerably for the appointment of Nepal's ambassador to China. After the fall of King Gyanendra's government last year, the new dispensation began replacing royal appointees with its own supporters.

Nepal's diplomatic corps has been one of the most affected by frequent political changes, with most heads of missions abroad chosen not from career diplomats but according to their political affiliation.

Since the end of the royal regime, the posts of over 20 ambassadors have been lying vacant.

(IANS)

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