Kathmandu, Oct 15: The Parliamentary Hearing Committee has rejected ambassador nominees for Saudi Arabia and Malaysia and deferred a decision on Japan amid divisions within the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). It approved the other 10 nominees.
Giri Bahadur Sunar, nominated for Saudi Arabia, and Chudamani Kharel, proposed for Malaysia, were unanimously rejected over concerns about their conduct. Jigyan Kumar Thapa’s nomination for Japan remains pending, with a decision expected after Dashain.
Sunar faced allegations of violence and repeated abuse against a woman living abroad. The committee spoke with the complainant before questioning him.
He acknowledged a past relationship with her and said they had settled their dispute at Lalitpur police 13 years ago. Responding to questions about an extramarital relationship, he maintained that he had divorced his wife.
His angry remarks about the woman during the hearing prompted committee chair Bodh Narayan Shrestha to order an expression removed from the record. Lawmakers concluded that his conduct fell short of the ethical standards expected of an ambassador.
RSP chief whip Kabindra Burlakoti said the incident’s age did not remove its ethical implications. Kharel was rejected due to questions about financial dealings.
Thapa’s nomination divided RSP lawmakers after questions arose about his permanent residency in Japan and possible conflicts of interest. He said he had surrendered his residency but acknowledged property in Japan registered in his wife’s name.
The Foreign Ministry told the committee it had sought proof through Nepal’s embassy in Tokyo. The embassy contacted Japanese authorities, but a public holiday delayed their response.
Opposition lawmaker Barshaman Pun urged rejection or voluntary withdrawal. Burlakoti argued that Thapa had relinquished residency six months earlier and supported waiting for evidence. RSP lawmakers Rajiv Khatri and Poonam Agrawal pressed for an immediate decision, while Madhu Kumar Chaulagain backed deferral.
Opposition lawmakers also questioned whether repeated phone calls to committee members reflected interference in the process.
The approved nominees are Dr Nischal Nath Pandey for India, Dr Kalyan Raj Sharma for China, Chiran Jung Thapa for the United States, Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana for Britain and Saru Joshi for Germany.
The committee also cleared Suresh Kumar Karna for Israel, Prapti Sherchan for Spain, Dr Padmakshi Rana for Oman, Prof Dr Sangam Shrestha for South Korea and Dr Manchala Kumari Jha for Sri Lanka.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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