Signs of Diplomatic Disarray? Nepal’s Government Faces Questions Over Plan to Deploy Non-Diplomatic Officials to Foreign Missions

Some of the government’s recent initiatives, introduced in the name of reform, appear to be moving in a direction that could create long-term institutional disruption. Critics argue that the government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah is experimenting with Nepal’s diplomatic service without sufficient research, international benchmarking, or pilot testing. The latest controversy arose after Chief Secretary Govinda Bahadur Karki reportedly urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week to begin sending civil administration officers to Nepal’s diplomatic missions abroad, raising concerns over the future of the country’s diplomatic service.

If the proposal is implemented, many are questioning what it could mean for the future of Nepal’s diplomacy. The answer, observers say, will only become clear with time.

At present, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its subordinate offices, and Nepal’s diplomatic missions abroad are staffed primarily by officers belonging to the Foreign Service. Apart from this, a limited number of police and military attachés are posted to selected missions under existing international practice. However, according to sources, Chief Secretary Karki has been pressing the Foreign Ministry to allow officers from the Civil Administration Service to be posted in diplomatic positions traditionally reserved for career diplomats.

Sources claim the initiative did not originate solely from the Chief Secretary himself but was driven by pressure from the Prime Minister’s advisory team. According to officials familiar with the matter, the Foreign Ministry has been left uncertain by the proposal, which reportedly arrived from the Office of the Chief Secretary without prior preparation or consultation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently consists of 15 divisions, two departments, one liaison office, 31 embassies, three permanent missions, and 10 consulates general. The government has already decided to close three embassies, two consulates general, and one liaison office during the current fiscal year 2083/84 (2026/27). Nepal’s embassies in South Africa, Brazil, and Denmark are scheduled to close, along with the Consulates General in San Francisco, United States, and Chengdu, China. The liaison office in Visakhapatnam, India, will also be abolished.

According to senior Foreign Ministry sources, Chief Secretary Karki has held four to five meetings with ministry officials on the issue. Officials say they repeatedly attempted to explain established diplomatic norms and practices, but their concerns were largely disregarded.

“The Chief Secretary himself once served as a Consul General. Perhaps that experience has led him to believe that not only the position of Consul General but also other diplomatic posts should be opened to officers from the Civil Administration Service,” a senior Foreign Ministry source said.

Under Nepal’s existing civil service framework, officers from other government services cannot simply be transferred into the Foreign Service. Entry into the Foreign Service requires candidates to pass a separate competitive examination conducted by the Public Service Commission. However, sources allege that the Chief Secretary is now pushing for a system that would allow officers recruited through the Civil Administration Service examination to be transferred into diplomatic posts abroad.

International practice

Across much of the world, diplomatic missions are staffed not only by career diplomats but also by specialists from other branches of government. However, not all of those officials receive diplomatic rank or enjoy full diplomatic privileges.

The 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations classifies embassy personnel into diplomatic staff, administrative and technical staff, and service staff. Under the convention, not everyone working at an embassy is required to be a career diplomat. Administrative, technical, and support personnel have clearly defined legal status.

Major countries follow this model. The United States assigns experts from agencies responsible for defense, commerce, agriculture, justice, and national security alongside career Foreign Service officers. Similarly, India, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, China, Canada, and Australia post officials from various ministries and government agencies to their diplomatic missions whenever specialized expertise is required.

Experts note that assigning non-diplomatic personnel to embassies is a common international practice in areas such as labor, trade, tourism, defense, agriculture, education, science, and security. However, being a non-diplomatic official at an embassy is not the same as holding diplomatic status. Such officials receive diplomatic privileges and immunities only if the host country recognizes them as members of the diplomatic staff. Administrative and technical personnel may enjoy certain privileges, but these are generally more limited than those granted to career diplomats.

Nepal also follows this practice to some extent by deploying defense attachés, labor attachés, police liaison officers, and other technical experts to selected missions abroad. Diplomacy experts, however, emphasize that while international practice supports sending specialists to embassies, appointments should be transparent, merit-based, and driven by institutional needs. They caution that appointments perceived as politically motivated or based on personal connections often become the subject of public debate and criticism.