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President Ram Chandra Paudel on Monday reached Doha to attend the Second World Summit for Social Development.

The President is leading a 12-member Nepali delegation to the Summit at the invitation of the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

High-ranking officials of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar and Nepali Embassy in Qatar including Nepali Embassy, Ramesh Chandra Poudel, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Lok Bahadur Thapa, welcomed President Paudel upon his arrival at Doha-based Hamad International Airport, according to President Paudel's Secretariat.

President Paudel is scheduled to address the Plenary Meetings and the High-Level Roundtable of the Summit on November 4.

The President is scheduled to hold meetings with the UN Secretary General and the Amir of Qatar, it has been said.

 On the sidelines of the Summit, the President will also meet some world leaders attending the event.

It is said that the Summit would make a shared commitment on cooperation and assistance for social development. The Summit is also expected to hold intensive discussions on development inequalities in the world, demographic imbalances and the impacts of technology on the society.

The First World Summit for Social Development was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1995.

President Paudel is accompanied by his spouse Sabita Paudel, Kiran Kumar Pokhrel, media expert to the President, Secretary of the President's Office, and other senior officials of the Government of Nepal.

The President and the delegation will return to Kathmandu on November 6.

The government has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recall Nepali ambassadors from 11 countries and assign them duties with the ministry.

The government's move comes after the Supreme Court on Sunday issued an interim order against the government's decision to recall Nepal's ambassadors from 11 countries.

The ministry stated that the government has sent a letter on Monday, requesting the recall of ambassadors from 11 countries.

Ministry's spokesperson Lok Bahadur Paudel Chhetri said the ministry received the letter on Monday.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on October 16 had decided to recall the 11 ambassadors who had received political appointments by November 6.

A writ was filed in the Supreme Court claiming that the government's decision was not lawful.

After the preliminary hearing of the case, the Supreme Court issued an interim order to the government on Sunday not to implement the decision.

Except for the CPN-UML, most major political parties have not opposed the March 5 elections to elect the new House of Representatives. All major parties generally agree that holding elections is the only viable way to end the ongoing political and constitutional deadlock.

The UML, however, has proposed an alternative political roadmap that calls for the restoration of the dissolved House, arguing that the current environment is not conducive to holding elections. The party has also branded the Sushila Karki-led government as “unconstitutional.”

The Nepali Congress (NC), though seemingly in favor of elections, remains ambiguous in its position. The party is currently entangled in internal disputes over convening its General Convention to elect new leadership. Acting party president, Purna Bahadur Khadka, appears more aligned with KP Sharma Oli’s proposal for restoration, while general secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, who favor elections over reinstatement, are reportedly in secret talks with Prime Minister Karki to create an environment conducive to polls.

The March 5 election timeline is looking increasingly difficult, both politically and in terms of security. There is a deep trust deficit between Prime Minister Karki and the top leaders of major parties. Karki is reportedly hesitant to hold formal meetings with them, fearing backlash from GenZ protesters who have accused the political class of manipulation and betrayal.

Talks between the government and political parties have begun, but largely for show. Only lower-ranking party leaders are participating, and Baluwatar is quietly engaging with less influential figures within major parties who lack decision-making power. Among the top leaders—KP Sharma Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal—Deuba is currently abroad for medical treatment, while the other two remain in Kathmandu.

The Karki administration faces particular difficulty in engaging with Oli, who remains controversial due to the killing of 19 students during his tenure as prime minister. Karki is under pressure from Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah to arrest him, while the UML demands that the government revoke its decision restricting Oli’s foreign travel. UML leaders insist they cannot participate in elections while their party chair remains confined to the Kathmandu Valley.

Karki has also not reached out, at least publicly, to NC’s acting president Khadka or Maoist chair Dahal. Both leaders, insiders say, ignore the advice of their representatives attending meetings at Baluwatar. As such, real negotiations between the government and major parties have yet to begin. No formal dialogue has taken place among the three key political forces—the NC, UML, and CPN (Maoist Center).

Engaging with GenZ protest groups poses another challenge, as there is no unified leadership structure. With over two dozen groups claiming representation, neither the government nor the Election Commission has been able to hold substantive consultations with them.

Meanwhile, the government is preparing election-related policies and bylaws without meaningful consultations with political parties or with youth groups. Despite being formed in response to the protestors’ demands, the Karki administration has failed to reach any agreement with them to ensure a conducive electoral environment. As a result, the political climate remains far from ready for polls.

Security is another major concern. The government and Election Commission are in talks with security agencies to draft a comprehensive security blueprint. The Nepal Army’s role is expected to expand during the elections, though the exact modality remains undecided. The Nepal Police, already short on arms and ammunition, was further weakened during the Sept 8–9 GenZ protests. The government is considering seeking logistical assistance from India and China, but it remains uncertain whether that will be sufficient.

Even if the government manages to create a secure environment, political parties are not yet convinced that election campaigns can proceed safely. The police have yet to recover weapons looted during the protests. Youth wings of major political parties and several self-proclaimed Gen-Z groups remain in a confrontational mode. Unlike the largely peaceful 2022 national elections, the current context poses new and unpredictable security threats.

Time, meanwhile, is running out. Only 120 days remain before the March 5 deadline. If the government and parties reach an agreement soon, the EC could technically conduct the elections within 70–80 days. But given the current political trends, rapprochement between the government and major parties appears increasingly difficult.

Across all three major parties, establishment factions maintain firm control, making intra-party dialogue with rival groups largely symbolic. Beyond the NC, UML, and Maoists, other parties, such as the Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party, have yet to even begin preparations for the polls.

South Korean Ambassador to Nepal, Park Tae-Young, today paid a courtesy call on Finance Minister Rameshwor Prasad Khanal.

During the meeting at the Finance Ministry, the two discussed Nepal-Korea diplomatic ties. 

The Finance Minister expressed gratitude to South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, for its continued support to Nepal.

Highlighting the satisfactory progress of Korea-funded projects and programs in Nepal, the Finance Minister stated that economic partnership with South Korea will continue.

Recalling the completion of 30 years of bilateral relations between KOICA and the Government of Nepal, the ambassador expressed hope for further collaboration in the days to come. 

He pledged to encourage the South Korean investor community to invest in Nepal and to facilitate the promotion of Nepali products.

Additionally, he informed the minister that the Government of Korea will establish a dedicated visa center in Nepal to facilitate visas for Nepali workers traveling to Korea.

He also added that a process is underway to provide concessional loans, through KOICA support, for returnees from Korea who had worked there under the EPS, to help them start their own businesses. 

The ambassador urged the government for the necessary facilitation to support this initiative, according to the Finance Ministry Secretariat.