With her husband unemployed, it was difficult to manage the household expenses. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/soaring-debt">Debt was piling up,</a> and Sonika Sanjel saw <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/foreign-employment-revival">foreign employment </a>as her only way out. “I was always fighting with my husband because we didn’t have enough to get by so I found a middleman,” says Sanjel. The broker said she had to go to India overland and then fly to Kuwait from Delhi. Having travelled far from home, first to Kathmandu and then to Raxaul in Birganj, she was ready to go to an even more unfamiliar place if it meant it would free her from <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/till-debt-do-us-part">financial trap</a>. Sanjel reached the border town of Belahiya in November, where volunteers deployed to control <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/human-trafficking-patterns-changing-in-south-asia">human trafficking </a>became suspicious and questioned her. She told them she was going to Kuwait but could not produce the necessary documents. They were telling her she was being trafficked, when the recruiter disappeared. She is now at the Shanti Rehabilitation Home in Bhairawa. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/two-decades-of-debate-on-female-migration">Two decades of debate on female migration</a>, Upasana Khadka Nitesh Kumar Chaudhary heads the organisation monitoring human trafficking at the border, and says that the number of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/trafficked-nepali-woman-s-testimony">Nepali women being trafficked</a> has increased significantly. “We have been stopping those we suspect,” he adds, “but some may have slipped through.” Organisations working on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/migration-not-a-wish-but-necessity-for-nepalis">migration</a> and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-goal-is-empowerment-and-independence-of-women">women’s issues</a> in the area including the Peace Rehabilitation Center, Aafanta Nepal, Sana Haat and Shubha Avar Gram provided counselling to nearly 33,000 women at the Belhiya border crossing in the past year. Of them, nearly 800 women were trying to go to a third country to bypass a ban on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/female-migrant-workers-hold-up-half-the-sky">women migrant workers</a>. Nepali women used to be <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/people-to-people-at-india-nepal-border">trafficked to India</a> to work in the sex industry, but the recruiters have now shifted to luring them to third countries. However, those going overland via India are also sometimes stranded in Mumbai and Delhi and <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/epicentre-trafficking-migration,3256">sold to brothels</a>.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250117050144_04798f07ac862be15b5862cf3e276256ed800d4a522e30306b3befaa00199e7b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20250117050144_04798f07ac862be15b5862cf3e276256ed800d4a522e30306b3befaa00199e7b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1033" height="580" loading="lazy" alt="Women on the move NT"> </figure>  So far, 15 human trafficking and smuggling cases have been filed at the district police office in the last five years. Deputy Superintendent of Police Suraj Karki also confirms that the number of women traveling to third countries overland through India has increased. “There is an increasing trend of women travelling India on foot and then flying off to other countries from there,” says Sita Pantha of the group SAMI. “Those who take this route are at a much higher risk.” Just on one day two months ago, 13 women were stopped at Belahiya checkpoint. Other checkpoints on this side of the border in Biratnagar, Birganj, Nepalganj, and Mahendranagar have also seen <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-baby-export">human trafficking cases</a>. Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/girl-trafficking-in-nepal,1829">Teach to fight trafficking</a>, Stéphane Huët Following some high-profile cases of violence against Nepali female workers in the Gulf, the Nepal government on the recommendation of the International Relations Committee of Parliament banned women from travelling to the region in 2016. But women continue to migrate in the absence of other <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/life-and-livelihood-in-remote-nepal">livelihood options</a> at home, often resorting to illegal routes and at much higher costs. Gyanu Poudel of the Namuna Integrated Development Council that works in human trafficking and social awareness in Bhairawa says that the risk has increased since the government closed the legal route to migration. “The government banned women workers from going to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/migrants-returning-from-the-gulf-with-infertility">the Gulf</a> because of abuse and exploitation but it did not give them an alternative either,” points out Poudel. “This ban should be reconsidered to ensure that women go through the legal route safely.” Following the ban, middlemen are now using tourist visas to get women workers to the Gulf. Recruiters also pay immigration officials at Kathmandu airport to look the other way. Sunita Pahari of Lalitpur reached the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a tourist visa in August 2023. But unable to land a good job, she jumped from a building three months later. Nearly 300 female migrant workers have died abroad in the past 14 years.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250117050144_f58df7097c5d9689e284a0957ee03b12ad728d26df3fc673e75efd4b39bda7d7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="20250117050144_f58df7097c5d9689e284a0957ee03b12ad728d26df3fc673e75efd4b39bda7d7" data-rendition-name="original" width="1339" height="750" loading="lazy" alt="Women on the move NT"> </figure>  The report by the Ministry of Labour also considers suicide as a major cause of death among Nepali workers in the Gulf and Malaysia. According to the report, 1,187 Nepali migrant workers have died by suicide in the same period. Of these, 10-15% are women. Tikaram Dhakal at the Foreign Employment Board says that women who take a backdoor to the Gulf are undocumented and essentially illegal in these destination countries. Nepali embassies there do not have any information on them, which means they have no recourse<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-abused-by-nepalis-in-luxembourg"> in case of abuse </a>or exploitation of any form, they are deprived of services and compensation of any kind. Brokers who take women to India via land and fly them to third countries are known to lure unemployed people in the villages, tempting them with free visa and ticket. Sunita Ram of Jhapa received a similar offer. The broker also told her that she would earn Rs55,000 a month in Kuwait. Ram made a passport soon after, and before long was at the Sunali border about to cross into India when she was stopped. She wasn’t arrested because the broker wasn’t with her and instead taken to the Peace Rehabilitation Center, from where she was handed over to her relatives. Panchamaya Tamang from Sindhupalchok was also lured by a broker with an offer of a free visa and ticket. But when she was trying to cross the border, she was found without necessary documents, and without a middleman. She was sent back home. Women going for foreign employment via India are between 20-35 years, most of them from ethnic and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-marginalised-on-the-margins">marginalised communities</a>. Gyanu Poudel of the Namuna Integrated Development Council cautions aspiring women migrants against tempting offers while also noting, “It seems that the brokers are targeting uneducated women from remote villages.”

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Women on the move

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd6e19c7e80680e092da9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>When we <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/history-of-female-immobility-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/history-of-female-immobility-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHyoT76RBxqlRGo3WXmHQL848_6og">last wrote about Nepal’s Department of Immigration’s proposal</a> requiring women under 40 years to obtain permission letters from family members and the local ward, it was heavily resisted.The fights, those before us had to pick to change the status quo on female emigration are no different than the present. The recent proposal was a chilling reminder that we are just going around in circles.Over the last two decades since this newspaper started covering the issue, the stories we tell are all the same: women bypassing restrictive policies due to desperation or aspiration, the risks that women are willing to take for a better shot at life for themselves and their families.The rationale for the Department of Immigration’s reactionary proposal showed that the response to exploitation and abuse of female migrants has not moved beyond knee-jerk bans and travel restrictions.Going back through the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue_archive/list/2018" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue_archive/list/2018&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEfXpyv_9i6cMQgWXJR9u8ACzy4IQ">Nepali Times</a> <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue_archive/list/2018" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue_archive/list/2018&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEfXpyv_9i6cMQgWXJR9u8ACzy4IQ">archive</a> to find references to the state trying to keep Nepali women tied up at home reveals the complexities of the issue:In the very first #0 prototype edition of this paper Jasmine Rajbhandary in her Women to Women column wrote about how female immigration officials at Kathmandu airport also extort female passengers: ‘I would dare to say that almost every female in Nepal at some point or another has felt unsafe, insecure or uncomfortable in her surroundings and those in it.’<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd6e39c7e80680e092daajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="2000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In its 19 October 2001 issue, Nepali Times conducted an online reader poll on whether the government should lift restrictions on Nepali women going to the Gulf to work. Nearly 1,000 people responded, with over 60% saying yes. It showed that this has always been a contentious issue. Some of the responses are quite revealing (see screenshot).<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd6e69c7e80680e092dabjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1005" height="672"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In an <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7171#.YDxiIVUzaUk" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D7171%23.YDxiIVUzaUk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEVitaBiga5kWAmqU8k0MudJq4xQg">interview, Renu Rajbhandari</a> of the Women’s Rehabilitation Center (WOREC) in March 2002, points to bills on abortion and domestic violence that would impact women: ‘The patriarchal notion of the state is strongly evident in the bill(s).”In the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4816#.YDxjOFUzaUk" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D4816%23.YDxjOFUzaUk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFdN_i8TkGnPRYlU6o_oyrUKm26Bw">10 January 2003 edition, Nepali Times reporter Hemlata Rai</a> explained how the high profile suicide of Kani Sherpa in 1998 after being sexually abused by her Kuwait-based employer led to the ban of women going to the Gulf for foreign employment. But even then, there was a realisation that the ban was not serving its purpose. She quotes Binda Pandey of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT): “It is the government's obligation to guarantee safety of its citizens. Preventing women from foreign employment is violating women's basic human rights to conceal its own weaknesses.”In 30 July 2004, reporter J B Pun Magar in an article titled <a href="http://Manpower%20Agencies%20and%20Women’s%20Power,%20JB%20Pun%20Magar" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://Manpower%2520Agencies%2520and%2520Women%E2%80%99s%2520Power,%2520JB%2520Pun%2520Magar&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEToenjca3C8v7LELawPuhsTF4law">‘Manpower Agencies and Women’s Power’</a> showed how abuse abroad had not deterred Nepali women from migrating for household work in the Gulf. He quotes Maya GC who was exploited and sexually abused but was still migrating for work in Qatar: "I know it may happen again, but look at the situation in our country".Another woman named Anita from Palpa who managed to escape from an abusive employer in Kuwait, said in a taped message to her family how she had been duped by an acquaintance from the village. (See screenshot)<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd6e99c7e80680e092dacjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="863" height="289"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In an op-ed published in the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=13755#.YDxlTFUzaUk" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D13755%23.YDxlTFUzaUk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGn9gjpFUiAAU8uIdoUI264800jaQ">20 July 2007 edition of Nepali Times, Nischal Nath Pandey</a> points out how Nepali embassies abroad were poorly equipped and staffed, and budget was scarce to attend to labour matters.In 31 October 2008, reporter Dewan Rai told the story of Kopila Rai who suffered abuse as a caregiver in Israel. She asks, “We only talk about the government benefits from the money that migrant workers send home, but at what cost?”In <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16350#.YDxnG1UzaUk" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D16350%23.YDxnG1UzaUk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEMYnkAI50DgRfebeYCLaVqSFD8kw">another report in 2009, Rai</a> points out that the ban on domestic workers has not improved the situation of women workers abroad. Contrary to the more common India route to bypass the ban, he writes about Sabina who submitted fake documents saying she will be working in a hotel so she could fly out.In an interview with Nepali Times in the 3 December 2010 issue, Caroline O’Reilly of the ILO is asked if there is a link between migrant workers and human trafficking. She replies, “Absolutely, especially when migrant workers don’t go through official channels, they are vulnerable to forced labour.”An editorial in the 28 October 2011 edition of Nepali Times mentioned the story of Dechen Doma Sherpa who recorded an immigration official at Kathmandu airport asking her for a bribe even when she had the required paperwork. The editorial called for a crackdown on exploitation by immigration officials, reducing recruitment costs, and skills training to make migration more rewarding.In an <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19120#.YDxpbVUzaUl" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D19120%23.YDxpbVUzaUl&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHHmK4Oh3jCGRcPSD6GdMXQFDOTIQ">op-ed titled Womanpower in the 23 March 2012</a> issue of the paper, Rubeena Mahato argues that despite the ban being lifted with the passing of the Foreign Employment Act 2007, women continued to travel via illegal routes as the perception of the ban persisted. She reported that 3,200 Nepali women had been intercepted at New Delhi Airport after the Nepal government asked Indian officials to stop Nepali women going to the Gulf on visit visas.‘Even Slaves are Treated Better’ was the title of a joint report by Sushila Budathoki and Mina Sharma in the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19374#.YDxqI1UzaUk" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D19374%23.YDxqI1UzaUk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGzgw6_3ZmcVDlqvDpwaFSMBkI36A">issue of 8 June 2012</a> about how lifting the ban on female workers was not enough. Legalising individual contracts for domestic workers to directly arrange their employment with foreign employers put women at risk while giving recruiters a free pass to game the system, and avoid being identified or implicated in case of abuse.The story began with four heart-wrenching stories of Nepali women who were sexually abused, and had endured physical torture at the hands of their Nepali recruiters and employers in the Gulf.In 13 September 2013 Brikuti Rai and Sunir Pandey reported in Nepali Times about Sita, a Saudi returnee, who was robbed and raped by officials at Kathmandu airport. While Parshuram Basnet and Somnath Khanal got one year jail sentence, immigration section officers Tikaram Pokharel and Ram Prasad Koirala were acquitted.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd6eb9c7e80680e092dadjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="766" height="365"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/women-migrant-workers-are-doubly-vulnerable" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/women-migrant-workers-are-doubly-vulnerable&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNhj7hAQxTpGJ4D3bI0omudE73Rw">Rojita Adhikary reported in the 6 June 2014 issue of Nepali Times</a> about how women workers are doubly vulnerable because they are not just easy prey to recruiters and abusive employers, but also to sexual predators. She related the experience of Dilmaya who was a victim of domestic abuse, who left for overseas work only to land an employer in Qatar who raped her. She returned to Nepal in 2011 with a baby. She also related shocking stories of Maya in Kuwait and Hema in Saudi Arabia who were raped, abused, and returned with health issues to an unwelcoming society.In an <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/The-right%20-to-have-rights,2656" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/The-right%2520-to-have-rights,2656&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFaovmyeTwYrNxCjNI72m8DIvFKow">op-ed in the 16 October 2015 issue, Sangita Thebe-Limbu</a> argued that provisions on mothers’ citizenship to her children in the new Constitution laid bare misogynistic and patriarchal values hiding behind nationalism. She said this put the children of trafficked women, migrant women workers and other transient women whose offspring are born outside Nepal in a disadvantaged position.In the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/epicentre-trafficking-migration,3256" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/epicentre-trafficking-migration,3256&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG9E-7jvv5_JgNMjYPmzGzR3kOLyQ">2 September 2016 issue, Om Astha Rai</a> reported on how trafficking rings that sold uneducated and poor Nepali girls into Indian brothels, had moved on to the Gulf and even East African countries. The 2015 earthquake made girls more vulnerable to trafficking because they lost homes and parents.  In a report titled ‘Never Heard from Again’ in the 27 January 2017 issue, Rai reported on missing Nepali migrants who disappeared abroad, mostly women who are trafficked to the Gulf via India to work as housemaids. He interviewed relatives of women like Parbati Karki who disappeared in Saudi Arabia, and Sita Rai who was travelling to Kuwait via India.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd6ec9c7e80680e092daejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In 27 April 2018, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepali-migrants-missing-abroad,3503" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepali-migrants-missing-abroad,3503&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGP_pfpovy4ehPJf6WlsJkcsEj3Aw">I reported from Lebanon on Nepali domestic workers</a> who were desperate to come home to visit family. They were afraid the ban on female household workers would mean they would not be able to return to their jobs. We got insights from Lebanese employers who described their relationship with their Nepali employees who after years, had become like family.In 2019, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-and-malaysia-rewrite-rules-for-migrant-labour/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-and-malaysia-rewrite-rules-for-migrant-labour/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEeVceiRi1Xn_blbwAd_JymWwHVKA">Nepali Times reported</a> on the government decision to allow current domestic workers abroad to visit family members and return to their jobs, a welcome move as it was right before Dasain.In the 16 September 2020 issue of this paper, Marty Logan and I reported on Lilamaya Dhimal, a Nepali woman who was rescued from Saudi Arabia after 12 years of abuse by her employer. It was a combination of luck and proactive embassy support that rescued her from an employer she described as a “monster”.It was also a year when the pandemic revealed pre-existing fault lines of a ‘protection’-oriented migration policy as women, especially those who had bypassed the ban, were disproportionately impacted while abroad and during repatriation.It is 2021. The year began with a controversial proposal by the Immigration Department to required women below 40 to have written permission from male members of the family and ward officials before she can travel. News of the proposal sparked outrage, and street protests. In my report on the issue in the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/history-of-female-immobility-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/history-of-female-immobility-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHyoT76RBxqlRGo3WXmHQL848_6og">11 February edition of Nepali Times</a> I traced the history of restrictive immigration policies and reported on the protests by frustrated Nepalis resisting such patriarchal laws.In the story, women reported feeling harassed by the Immigration Officials with or without the ban or the restrictions, just like it was reported in the very first edition of this paper in 21 years ago.We are back to square one. Or perhaps we never left.To be sure, the stories of abuse have also persisted and trafficking under the guise of foreign employment is rampant. It is necessary to strengthen anti-trafficking laws, including amendment to laws as per the Palermo Protocol that Nepal ratified last year.But it is also important to allow <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/caught-in-the-middle/migration-agency-exploitation,4003" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/caught-in-the-middle/migration-agency-exploitation,4003&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGDoINfevTKsbt5dzMEofd3eUo0_Q">safe employment opportunities for women via legal channels.</a> The causes of poverty and desperation run deep, and the restrictive rules, even if well-intentioned, are counterproductive because they have only made the roles of agents and their services more relevant. In many cases where the woman is not abused during the journey, or lands a good employer, the agent is viewed as a hero, a facilitator, and not a criminal.Even as the government proposed restrictions on visit visas for women flying to the Gulf and African countries, came news of 26 young women languishing in jails in Sri Lanka. They were headed to the Gulf via India. Recruiting agents are creative and stay one step ahead of new rules, finding increasingly circuitous routes. Since Nepali women who travelled overland to India were stopped from flying from New Delhi and Mumbai to the Gulf, they started taking them to Colombo.The impact of the pandemic on Nepali families, and the rising demand in the care economy abroad, means greater push factors. Interceptions viewed as a success by the government are often seen as just ‘bad luck’ by migrants. This small selection of Nepali Times reports from the past 20 years shows that there needs to be an honest evaluation of the unintended, but anticipated, consequences of policies restricting travel for women.On International Women’s Day on 8 March, there will be many references to women holding up half the sky. However, rules that clip the wings of women have thwarted a more vibrant discourse on unleashing the full potential of Nepali women in nation building.How can we deliberate on labour agreements, skills training, stronger worker provisions, better financed and staffed Nepali embassies, and rewarding alternates at home and abroad, when the fundamental right to movement sucks up all the attention?Upasana Khadka writes this column <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/a-few-good-agents/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/a-few-good-agents/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHxrTbWX1w8Q_cVAAS5v1MeORJ_pw">Labour Mobility</a> every month in Nepali Times analysing trends affecting Nepal’s workers abroad. The selected content in this article can be accessed through the site search function on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614680804916000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGPhpcGkCAbUa-qRlZFrbOxzMvdPg">https://www.nepalitimes.com/</a>.

Upasana Khadka

Two decades of debate on female migration

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Know your Ministers

‘One early morning, we heard the ambassador’s wife cry out, “Ram, Ram, Ram!” A disaster has befallen Nepal!” She had heard on the radio that a fire had consumed Singha Durbar." This is not about the arson attack on 9 September 2025, but the one on 8 July, 1973. It started in the South Wing of the then single-largest building in all of Nepal. It took two days to bring the blaze under control, requiring the use of explosives to demolish one wing to protect the imposing western facade. As Bhekh Bahadur Thapa recalls in the English translation of his memoir A Life in Public Service: Nepal from Autocracy to Democracy, he was then on leave from the Nepal government serving with the IDRC in Ottawa.&nbsp; He had already served as Nepal’s Finance Secretary at age 25, went on to be Finance Minister and Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank. He was already younger than some of the GenZ ministers in Nepal’s present RSP government. Thapa, now 89, was at the launch of the book in February which was attended by former diplomats and bureaucrats. After speeches by panelists, there was a question from the audience about how Thapa had managed to be the diplomat he was, managing Nepal’s international relations on the world stage.&nbsp; Writer and journalist Akhilesh Upadhyay, who was moderating the panel, responded by going into the section of the book where we see Thapa as an ambassador to the US, playing tennis with White House officials, cultivating a network of contacts to project the identity and welfare of Nepal, and making it possible for a state visit by King Birendra to Ronald Reagan’s America. The book is full of anecdotes that suggest Thapa was a clever and strategic diplomat, always calm and unruffled, easily making friends in high places with his maturity and engaging sense of humour. Thapa’s memoir is heavy on details about Nepal’s administrative history during the years he was active in public service, serving as minister and ambassador under three kings: Mahendra, Birendra and Gyanendra, and alongside five prime ministers.&nbsp; Aside from an insider look on how certain treaties, development deals and research projects in Nepal came into fruition, Thapa goes into great detail about his personal and professional relationships with the kings, ministers, ambassadors, foreign leaders and politicians.&nbsp; As a reader, one is struck by the level of detail around the events that unfolded in Nepal over the years during Thapa’s tenure. Was Thapa recording a journal over the years of the events and the conversations that transpired, or were they committed to his phenomenal memory? Either way, the reader gets a glimpse of Nepal’s recent history from the early days of the Panchayat, through the People’s Movement and the democracy period, the Maoist insurgency, Royal Palace massacre of 2001, and Gyanendra’s coup of 2005.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2026041204048_125dc8ae300a1e33124f394abe724d42727f83e067b0201d2008b58d60c459a4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2026041204048_125dc8ae300a1e33124f394abe724d42727f83e067b0201d2008b58d60c459a4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1584" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="How to win friends and influence nations NT"> </figure>  Not enough is said about the political parties of the time whose presence led to the way Nepal’s multiparty democracy came to be shaped. The book keeps its focus on the administration and the key figures around it, mostly those in the Panchayat era. Towards the second half of the book, we do start to hear about political parties, but not in great depth. Another figure whose presence in the book is conspicuously less prominent is that of his wife, Rita Thapa — the person who seems to have rescued him every time financial quandary or family care became a challenge. Yet, we do not see her as a full person. Perhaps because of the personal tragedies in his life, the children are also barely mentioned.&nbsp; The book is therefore less personal and more technical. Throughout, we learn about Thapa’s thinking as he navigated the world of diplomacy to win him the trust of those who mattered. There are tips here for a new generation of Nepali officials and diplomats about how much commitment and focus is needed to be good at one’s job and serve the national interest. This book adds to tomes that have been written on Nepal’s fragile relationship with India. ‘India has always wished for Nepal to remain dependent on it,’ writes Thapa, who served as Nepal’s ambassador to India and later in the Eminent Persons Group &nbsp;on Indo-Nepal relations that has been allowed to languish. The book has several insights into the Indo-Nepal trysts with diplomacy and agency.&nbsp; China’s role is also recorded, viewed through conversations during a visit to Beijing, but all that was before Nepal’s neighbour to the north emerged as a world economic and military power. The book also has such sudden instances of quirkiness and humour. For instance, we see a young Thapa in America explaining to a government official why he would like to return to Nepal instead of settling down in the US. “Because, Nepal is beautiful,” he said. The text is immaculate and does not read much like a translation, credit for which clearly goes to the team that put the edition together: translator Prawin Adhikari, &nbsp;Anagha Neelakanthan and Bhekh Thapa’s daughter, Manjushree. As Nepal enters a new era of governance and diplomacy, A Life in Public Service: Nepal from Autocracy to Democracy should be essential reading for students of political science, economics and foreign affairs who can gain a fresh perspective on the country’s trajectory.&nbsp; There are dozens of forgotten state secrets recorded in the book, but the reader must also remember this is a story told from one person’s perspective and there may be others.&nbsp; So, what really made Thapa the diplomat he was? I met him in 2004 at the Kantipur TV studio when he was serving as king Gyanendra’s foreign minister. He was there for a studio interview, and I was just done with my English newscast.&nbsp; He surprised me at the door: “Pratibha! I’ve been reading your articles in The Kathmandu Post. You must keep writing.” I thanked him, glad to have been noticed for my work by a stranger. That was perhaps one of the things that set Thapa apart — he excelled at staying close to those in power, while also noticing those who were not.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260412040412_213e706136a038ec9f5e2b8c6d7f7c1e9ceed9479e22fe2884872ad7bd20955f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20260412040412_213e706136a038ec9f5e2b8c6d7f7c1e9ceed9479e22fe2884872ad7bd20955f" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Book details"> </figure>

How to win friends and influence nations

Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday broke tradition and met with 17 foreign envoys collectively, a move that was a notable departure from how his predecessors operated.&nbsp;
Shah had already set himself apart by talking less, listening more, and delegating to trusted friends. But by meeting all ambassadors at one go in the presence of the Foreign Ministry, he signalled a paradigm shift in how he wants Nepal to be seen: no longer just balancing India and China, but as a country confident about its <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/guest-editorial/tripolar-contestation-over-nepal">strategic importance and place in the world</a>.
In just two weeks, the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/rsp-dos-and-don-ts">RSP has sprung into action </a>on multiple fronts to implement its ambitious 100-point, 100-days action plan. It has taken short-term measures to mitigate the impact of the Gulf war, as well as medium- and long- term measures to streamline the bureaucracy. A few high-profile figures have been made examples of to drive the message home.
Earlier this week, the government recalled six politically appointed ambassadors, the most notable being long-serving Shankar Sharma from New Delhi. The Kathmandu District Court issued arrest warrants against former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his former foreign minister wife Arzu Rana on charges of money laundering and corruption.
Each ministry has been trying to clean up the accumulated rot from the past three decades: regulatory overhaul of microfinance, education, health and service delivery.&nbsp;
These actions widely disseminated campaign-style on YouTube and TikTok have made most Nepalis hopeful that the party they installed in power means business.
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BACKLASH
But such attempts to overhaul a long-entrenched political culture were bound to face backlash. In their impatience and enthusiasm to get things done, some of Prime Minister Shah’s ministers have over-reached.
It was common knowledge that government-paid advertising in the mainstream press was kickback-driven, but the PMO’s directive that official notices be published or broadcast only on state-run media has been denounced — especially as the media industry struggles to stay afloat.
More serious are some recent appointments by ministers of relatives and figures closely associated with the RSP to key positions. This has rankled because this party built its political plank on ending nepotism and graft.&nbsp;
News that Home Minister Sudan Gurung allegedly had not paid rent on leased land, which illegally encroached on the lake in Pokhara did not help. &nbsp;
Prime Minister Shah himself has come under scrutiny for appointing a kitchen cabinet full of male buddies from his time as Kathmandu mayor. To douse criticism he brought in as adviser investigative journalist Deepa Dahal, who has exposed corruption in high places of the previous coalitions.&nbsp;
Shah’s appointment of another political adviser Asim Shah to the head Constitution Amendment Task Force, is also seen as problematic. He is a filmmaker and former lawmaker, but does not have a background in constitutional law.&nbsp;
Even more controversial is the Cabinet’s decision to appoint RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane’s legal counsel, Narayan Kandel, as Attorney General. Kandel used to be a UK permanent resident, and does not have as much experience practicing law in Nepal.&nbsp;
Kandel’s appointment drew flak and raised eyebrows, and with the pending legal cases against Lamichhane this appointment represents a flagrant conflict of interest.
Health Minister Nisha Mehta was also accused of favouritism after reappointing Junu Shrestha, wife of Labour Minister Dipak Kumar Shah, as member of the Health Insurance Board which had earlier suspended her. The Labour Minister’s rambling rant at the Board’s meeting on Tuesday has not helped the RSP’s image.&nbsp;
(UPDATE: On Thursday, Prime Minister Shah sacked the Labour Minister after the RSP found him in breach of the party's code of conduct and discipline. He served 14 days in the Cabinet, one of the shortest tenures for a minister in Nepal )
It is hard to know what <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/ball-in-balen-s-court">Balendra Shah is thinking</a>, and how Rabi Lamichhane is going to justify some of these moves. After all, making politics, governance, and bureaucracy a meritocracy has been the core tenet of the RSP, and it risks alienating its mainly youth base if these missteps persist.
But at least for now, most RSP supporters seem to be giving the party the benefit of doubt.

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