THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Kathmandu, Dec 26: Lt Gen (retd) Balananda Sharma was on Friday sworn in as Nepal’s new Minister for Foreign Affairs, marking another expansion of the interim government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki.
President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sharma at Sheetal Niwas, the President’s Office.
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With Sharma’s induction, the strength of the Council of Ministers has increased to 15, making it the fifth Cabinet expansion under Prime Minister Karki, whose interim government is tasked with conducting the general elections scheduled for March 5.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Karki, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, Vice-President Ramsahay Prasad Yadav, and other senior officials.
A highly experienced military officer, Sharma served in the Nepali Army for nearly 39 years, holding several key leadership positions. He was also part of international peacekeeping missions for close to four years.
According to The Kathmandu Post, Sharma played a crucial role in the post-conflict integration of Maoist combatants into the Nepal Army after the CPN (Maoist) joined the peace process in 2006, serving as coordinator of the technical committee on army integration.
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During the Covid-19 pandemic, Sharma headed the government’s Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC), overseeing coordination and response efforts at the national level.
