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The Ambassador of Qatar to Nepal, Mishal Mohammed Al Ansari, paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal at the Ministry on Thursday. 

During the courtesy call, views were exchanged on further strengthening bilateral relations in areas of mutual interest, including labour migration, partnership in hydropower and agriculture, tourism and investment promotion, according to the Ministry.  

It is said that matters commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Qatar were also discussed on the occasion.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday organized a virtual interaction program with Nepali diplomatic missions based in West Asia and Africa.

During the program, Ambassadors, Consuls General and Chargés d’Affaires briefed on the prevailing situation in their respective countries, the safety and security of Nepali nationals, the status of service delivery, innovative practices adopted and the priorities of the missions, according to the Ministry. 

During the meeting, Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal highlighted the government’s core priorities, including good governance and economic prosperity through strengthened economic diplomacy. 

He instructed the missions to align their efforts accordingly and to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery through innovation and digitalisation.

Likewise, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai underscored the importance of effective service delivery, advancing economic diplomacy in the changed context and leveraging technology to enhance efficiency.

In the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR), opposition parties together hold one-third of the seats (93). However, the opposition is highly fragmented and lacks cohesion. As a result, it is unlikely to play an effective role in holding the government accountable.

Moreover, many opposition leaders appear hesitant to take a strong critical stance against the government, reportedly due to fear of legal or corruption-related cases being brought against them. Even leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), who could have played a more assertive opposition role, are also unlikely to do so effectively, as the party has been criticized for adopting a restrictive internal approach toward its own lawmakers. Consequently, one of Parliament’s key functions—scrutinizing and checking executive power—appears increasingly weakened.

The judiciary, which should serve as an independent check on executive authority, also faces structural and political constraints. First, the dominance of ruling parties in the Constitutional Council and Judicial Council, which are responsible for judicial appointments, raises concerns about institutional independence. Second, the political tensions and protests of September last year have reportedly created an atmosphere of fear, which may discourage bold or independent judicial decision-making.

The media, often referred to as the fourth estate, also plays a crucial role in ensuring accountability. However, the current condition of the media sector is weak. Financial pressures have made many media houses vulnerable, reducing their capacity for independent and critical reporting. In addition, there is growing concern that media organizations may hesitate to challenge the government due to fears of reprisal.

Recent government actions—such as restricting access and reducing revenue channels for private media houses—have further strained the sector. Furthermore, there has been no strong commitment from major political actors, including the RSP, to uphold press freedom, and relations between media institutions and political leadership appear increasingly tense. Civil society, which traditionally acts as an important watchdog, is also largely ineffective at present. Its fragmentation along political lines has significantly weakened its independence and public trust.

In the past, the international community—particularly democratic countries—played an active role in raising concerns over freedom of expression and press freedom, often issuing statements when governments took repressive actions against journalists. However, in recent years, this engagement has noticeably declined. The international community appears to have shifted toward a more cautious or accommodating stance toward governments, even in the face of media restrictions and attacks on journalists. The democratic countries no longer uphold those values in Nepal. Taken together, these developments suggest a worrying trend: Nepal appears to be moving toward a system with a strong executive but increasingly weak and constrained institutions of accountability, with limited effective opposition voices.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has finalized its candidates for various parliamentary committee chairmanships following a parliamentary party meeting held at Singha Durbar on Thursday. In a significant move to organize its legislative presence, the party appointed Kabindra Burlakoti as the Chief Whip, with Prakash Chandra Pariyar and Kranti Shikha Dhital designated as Whips.

Additionally, Ganesh Parajuli has been appointed as the Deputy Leader of the parliamentary party. The meeting, endorsed by Party Chair Rabi Lamichhane and Parliamentary Party Leader Balen Shah, also established monthly levies for its officials: Rs 16,500 for lawmakers, Rs 18,000 for ministers, and Rs 2,000 for ministers’ personal secretaries.

Under this new lineup, Samiksha Baskota has been nominated for the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee, while Ashok Chaudhary will oversee Agriculture, Cooperatives, and Natural Resources. The party has selected Aashish Gajurel for Infrastructure Development, Aakriti Awasthi for Women and Social Affairs, and Hari Dhakal for State Affairs and Good Governance. Dr Ojaswi Sherchan is nominated for the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee, while Krishnahari Budhathoki has been assigned to the Finance Committee. 

The party has named Sumnima Udas for International Affairs and Tourism and Rahabar Ansari for the Industry, Commerce, Labour, and Consumer Interest Committee. For the joint committees, Bodhnarayan Shrestha has been nominated for Parliamentary Hearing, and Ganesh Karki will lead the committee for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Implementation of State Directive Principles, Policies, and Obligations. Notably, the party maintains its stance of supporting the main opposition party for the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee.

Regarding the Public Accounts Committee, the RSP has decided to support the main opposition party, aligning with a broader political consensus. Bharat Bahadur Khadka of the Nepali Congress has officially filed his candidacy for the PAC chairmanship, proposed by Mohan Acharya and seconded by Janak Raj Giri.  With the RSP, CPN-UML, and Nepali Communist Party all signaling their support for the opposition in this specific role, Khadka’s election as chairperson is virtually certain.