Eknath Dhakal, a member of the House of Representatives (HoR), has brought Nepal’s deteriorating international standing to the forefront. During the HoR session held on Monday, Dhakal, a former minister, expressed concern despite Nepal’s bilateral relations with 181 countries and the presence of Nepali embassies in 30 friendly nations. He emphasized that international relations are constantly weakening and being neglected.
Dhakal highlighted the decline in Nepal’s passport ranking, which dropped from 76th in 2006 to 103rd in 2024. He posed critical questions: Is this decline attributed to factors such as poverty, unemployment, corruption, or inadequate government diplomacy? Additionally, he questioned the absence of high-level visits from powerful friendly nations to Nepal, urging the Prime Minister to address this issue.
The lawmaker also pointed out that the visit of the United Nations Secretary-General to Nepal a few months ago was unplanned and accidental, raising concerns about Nepal’s susceptibility to regional politics.
Likewise, he underscored the inconvenience faced by Nepalis who must travel to Delhi for visa applications, despite the presence of friendly countries’ embassies in Kathmandu.
Dhakal’s solution? He proposed the formation of a high-level task force to tackle this issue and safeguard Nepal’s reputation.
His final plea: Prioritize diplomacy within the coalition government to ensure Nepal’s dignified international standing.
