DOHA: The Nepalese ambassador to Qatar Maya Kumari Sharma has run into a controversy back home, with reports circulating in a section of the Nepalese media saying that she has been asked to quit by the Unified CPN-Maoist (UCPN-M) party in Nepal which reportedly recommended her for the post.
In remarks to The Peninsula yesterday, Sharma laughed off the reports saying they are “politically- motivated”.
According to a report in the Nepal-based Himalayan News Service on Friday, UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal called Sharma over phone and asked her to resign and return to Nepal. She was appointed ambassador to Qatar from UCPN-M quota by the then Baburam Bhattarai-led government in May 2011, said the report. According to the report, the party had decided to seek her resignation “after it came to light that her activities in Qatar were against diplomatic practices and etiquette and could spoil Nepal-Qatar relations.”
“Nepali diaspora in Qatar had demanded that she be recalled following her undiplomatic behaviour, including her effort to deport a Nepali migrant worker, who criticised her for her incompetence. Also in an interview to BBC’s Sajha Sawal, she said Qatar was an ‘open jail’ for Nepali workers. The government of Qatar took exception to her remarks and asked the Nepali government to take action against her,” it added.
Some other Nepalese newspapers have also published similar reports. When contacted for comments yesterday, Sharma strongly denied the allegations.
“I was appointed by the Nepalese government, not by any political party and I am accountable only to the government. I have not received any letter from the government asking me to step down,” she told this daily.
She alleged that the reports were part of a political game.
“Such reports are part of dirty politics. There is no adequate press law in Nepal to prevent the media from carrying such baseless reports,” she added.
The Peninsula
