Nepal’s new government scrapped the appointments of eleven ambassadors which were made by the previous Oli government at the eleventh hour. Nine among them were political appointees and the rest two were the officers of the foreign service. 

A cabinet meeting held by newly appointed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday decided to cancel the ambassadorial appointment in 11 countries made by the erstwhile KP Sharma Oli government, The Kathmandu Post reported. 

Just before the parliament dissolution, the Oli government in May courted controversy when it amended the foreign service rules to what opposition leaders alleged accommodate few individuals. 

A foreign ministry official said that the ministry had communicated with the respective countries, informing them about the cancellation of these appointments. Experts, too, had criticized the appointments, saying it would lead to the politicization of the foreign service, therefore affecting the performance of the service cadre. 

The Oli administration had long been using the ordinance route to enact new rules to set its domestic political goals. And he had faced intense criticism, with many blaming him for subverting the constitutional democracy. 

Meanwhile, the Sher Bahadur Deuba government has decided to table all ordinances passed by Oli in parliament. 

(SAM)