Kathmandu, October 12
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Rajiv Khatri has questioned Nischal Nath Pandey, Nepal’s ambassador-designate to India, over the “nepo baby” label directed at him because of his family background.
Pandey is appearing before the Parliamentary Hearing Committee for his confirmation hearing.
During Monday’s meeting, Khatri referred to the Gen Z movement and said he was not questioning Pandey’s qualifications or capabilities, but wanted him to address questions about his family background.
“You are the son of a person who has been a minister five times. Are you a nepo baby or not?” Khatri asked.
Khatri also recalled Pandey’s previous remarks that Nepal’s diplomacy had become “rusty” and asked whether he would be able to remove that rust by the end of his tenure.
Pandey has presented his proposed action plan to the committee, outlining his priorities for strengthening Nepal-India relations.
In the plan, Pandey said Prime Minister Balen Shah would visit India soon, although the exact date had not yet been finalised. He said the information about the planned visit had been conveyed by the foreign minister.
“Although an exact date has yet to be fixed, the Right Honourable Prime Minister will visit India soon,” the plan states.
Pandey has pledged to promote regular high-level visits, friendly exchanges and dialogue between Nepal and India to strengthen bilateral ties and address outstanding issues.
He also said he would work to make existing bilateral mechanisms more active and result-oriented by preparing a schedule for their meetings.
Pandey described relations with India as a fundamental pillar of Nepal’s foreign policy, citing geographical proximity, cultural and historical ties, the open border and close people-to-people relations.
He said he would work to advance bilateral relations in line with Nepal’s national interests, immediate and long-term needs, national dignity and public sentiment.
Pandey also pledged to follow Nepal’s constitutional principles and the government’s foreign policy priorities, including protecting sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and national interests.
His proposed plan further calls for shifting from traditional diplomacy towards economic diplomacy, with a focus on positioning Nepal as an international destination for information technology, innovation, education and healthcare services.
Pandey said trade, transit, investment, tourism, access to the Indian market for Nepali products and energy cooperation have deepened interdependence between the two countries. He also noted India’s support to Nepal during disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic.
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