KATHMANDU– The government is preparing to recommend ambassadors to 21 diplomatic missions that have remained vacant for around six months, following an open application process that attracted around 4,400 applicants.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has reportedly prepared a list of candidates and submitted it to the Prime Minister’s Office for final approval.

‘We have sent the names to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will finalize the names from the list submitted to him,’ a senior MoFA source told Nepal Foreign Affairs.

According to sources, Nischalnath Pandey has been proposed for India, while Kalyan Sharma and Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai are among those proposed for China. Senior journalist and scholar Akhilesh Upadhyaya has been proposed for the United States, while former Army Chief Gaurav Shumsher Rana has been proposed for the United Kingdom.

The government had invited applications and recommendations for ambassadorial positions, describing the process as an open and merit-based exercise. Around 4,400 applications were received, of which approximately 2,700 candidates were shortlisted.

Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal reportedly consulted Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane while preparing the initial list. However, sources said it is still uncertain whether Prime Minister Balendra Shah will endorse all the names proposed by the Ministry.

The process has also raised questions about transparency. Although the government invited applications openly, it has not clearly disclosed how thousands of applicants were shortlisted, what specific criteria were applied, or how the final recommendations were selected from the shortlisted candidates.

An open application process, observers say, does not by itself guarantee open competition. For the process to be considered transparent, the government would need to make public the criteria and evaluation mechanism used for shortlisting and final selection.

‘There are concerns that, in the name of open competition, the selection process is still being conducted in a non-transparent manner, with personal and political considerations potentially taking precedence over merit,’ a source familiar with the process said.

The government is now expected to finalize the recommendations soon, ending the prolonged vacancy of key diplomatic posts.