KATHMANDU: Although a public holiday was declared on 16 Magh (January 30) on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) located in Singha Durbar remained partially open. The reason for this partial operation was President Ram Chandra Paudel’s official visit to Japan scheduled from February 1 to 4. To brief the media about the visit, On the previous day itself, Foreign Secretary Amrit Rai had invited journalists to the ministry at 12 noon today.

Since it was a public holiday on Friday, the ministry’s ‘Ambassador Room’ was empty. However, on normal working days, that room is apparently never vacant. When MoFA Spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri, who had come to the ministry on Martyrs’ Day leaving aside a meditation session to arrange the press conference, was asked “whether the ambassadors recalled by the government still come to the Ambassador Room to mark attendance or have stopped coming”, he replied: “Those dignitaries who have returned to Nepal and resigned do not come to the ministry. But the five who have not resigned still come to the ministry daily, mark their attendance, and return home.”

The ambassadors who returned to Nepal and submitted their resignations are Lok Darshan Regmi, Krishna Prasad Oli, Chandra Kumar Ghimire, Ramesh Chandra Paudel, Janga Bahadur Chauhan, and Netra Prasad Timilsina.

After the Gen-Z revolt of September 8 and 9, last year, the Cabinet led by Sushila Karki decided to recall ambassadors from 11 countries. Among those who returned to Nepal following that decision, five have still not submitted their resignations. They continue to visit the ministry regularly.

According to MoFA, the recalled ambassadors who come daily to mark attendance and receive ambassadorial salary and benefits are: Shail Rupakheti, ambassador to Germany; Dhan Prasad Pandit, ambassador to Israel; Naresh Bikram Dhakal, ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Shanil Nepal, ambassador to Spain; and Durga Bahadur Subedi, ambassador to Japan.

According to Madhusudan Paudel, the ministry’s chief accounts officer, these recalled ambassadors are paid salary and benefits by their respective embassies based on their attendance at the ministry. He stated,“After returning to Nepal, they have been paid salary and benefits for two months.”

Meanwhile, the ambassadors who have already resigned include: Lok Darshan Regmi (United States), Krishna Prasad Oli (China), Chandra Kumar Ghimire (United Kingdom), Ramesh Chandra Paudel (Qatar), Netra Prasad Timilsina (Malaysia), and Janga Bahadur Chauhan (Russia),

On 5 October 2025, the government had instructed Nepali ambassadors in 11 countries, including the US, China, and the UK, to return to Nepal by 6 November 2025 using their existing tickets. However, a writ petition was filed at the Supreme Court against the government’s decision, and on 3 November, the court issued an interim order instructing the government not to implement the Cabinet’s decision to recall the ambassadors.

Following the interim order, the government directed all 11 recalled ambassadors to report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Taking advantage of the court’s interim order, five ambassadors have still not resigned; instead, they are marking attendance at the ministry while retaining their ambassadorial status, thereby making a mockery of the dignity of the ambassadorial post.

Foreign and security affairs expert and former Member of Parliament Deepak Prakash Bhatt remarked, “For ambassadors who have already been recalled by the government to mark attendance at the ministry in the capacity of ambassadors and receive salary and benefits without doing any work is the height of shamelessness. This has severely damaged the dignity of the ambassadorial post. If they have even a little sense of morality left, they should resign immediately.”

The current government recalled ambassadors from 11 countries who had been appointed on the basis of political power-sharing by the previous Nepali Congress–UML coalition government led by KP Sharma Oli. However, some ambassadors appointed by the previous government have been allowed to continue by the Karki-led government.

The ambassadors who were given continuity include: Shankar Sharma (India), Chitralekha Yadav (Australia), Sumnima Tuladhar (Denmark), Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe (South Korea), Purna Bahadur Nepali (Sri Lanka) and Kapil Shrestha (South Africa).

These ambassadors were also appointed under the Nepali Congress–UML political quota system. Sharma, Yadav, and Shrestha were appointed under the Nepali Congress quota, while Tuladhar and Tumbahamphe were appointed under the UML quota.