Undiplomatic conduct

The hasty recalls of ambassadors to 11 foreign capitals is a sign of immature diplomacy.

Ambassadors aren’t magicians. No matter how good their PR skills are, it takes time and effort to cultivate good working relations with the officials of their host countries. When a country constantly chops and changes its ambassadors, diplomacy becomes difficult. Nepali political parties have a wretched record of abruptly recalling ambassadors appointed by the previous coalition governments. But Thursday's silly recall of Dr Shankar Sharma, Nepali ambassador to India, must be the most egregious of them all. The Cabinet decided to recall Sharma days ahead of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s New Delhi visit to attend the third swearing-in of Narendra Modi as India’s prime minister. Why couldn’t Dahal have waited until he got back from New Delhi? With what authority would an ambassador that his prime minister clearly does not trust coordinate his India trip? Why the rush, one wonders.