KATHMANDU: Nearly five months after Nepal’s recommendation for ambassador, India has sent Dr Shankar Sharma’s agreemo.
The Sher Bahadur Deuba government has recommended Sharma for Nepali ambassador to India on October 28, 2021. The government had recommended Gyan Chandra Acharya, Shridhar Khatri and Shankar Sharma for United Kingdom, the United States of America and India respectively.
Gyan Chandra Acharya was first appointed envoy to UK after receiving agreemo while Sridhar Khatri was also appointed last week after receiving agreemo from America.
The Foreign Ministry had written to USA, UK and India for agreemo on December 10, 2021 after the three recommended envoys were endorsed through parliamentary hearing.
Sharma’s appointment was extended due to non-sending of ‘Agrimo’. In the Nepali constitution, the President will appoint ambassadors on the recommendation of the government.
Sharma, who has been recommended for India, is a former Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission and a former ambassador to the United States. He is known as an economist.
The Sher Bahadur Deuba government had recalled all the envoys sent as political appointees. There is no Nepali envoy in Delhi now after Nilambar Acharya returned in September 2021.
The Indian side has attributed the delay to the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic and assembly elections in different states.