Sharma to clarify bid to get Nepali deported from Qatar

KATHMANDU, JUN 21 - Nepali Ambassador to Qatar Maya Kumari Sharma has landed in trouble once again due to her rude remarks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has sought another clarification from her, this time as to why she dispatched a letter to Qatar i authorities seeking deportation of a Nepali national working in the country.

Sharma, in a letter sent on 1 May, had requested Qatar i authorities to detain and deport Dipendra Bhetwal over a blog critical of her that he had posted.

Bhetwal, who had been out of the country, was summoned by the Qatar i Search and Follow-up Department on 16 June. Although he was asked to bring his passport and a flight ticket, he was later allowed to leave without deportation, according to a statement issued by Amnesty International.

Foreign Secretary Durga Bhattarai had sought clarification from Ambassador Sharma for violating the diplomatic norms and conduct. “Every diplomatic correspondence should be made upon the consent of the Foreign Ministry. She has violated this rule. Before writing to the Qatar i government, she should have sought permission from the headquarters,” said a senior MoFA official.

Sharma has not submitted her clarification yet. Sharma is the only female Nepali ambassador at present.

In a television interview a few months ago, she had termed Qatar as an ‘open jail’, requiring her to furnish a clarification to the MoFA. Her first clarification was not satisfactory, said sources.

Labels: News