Former Foreign Minister and senior communist leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha has warned the government against what he described as a dangerous departure from Nepal's established non-aligned foreign policy following recent diplomatic controversies surrounding the Dalai Lama.
Posting a message on his social platform X, Shrestha expressed deep concerns over diplomatic communications and recent events involving Tibetan exiled leaders. He pointed to congratulatory messages sent to both the interim government led by Sushila Karki and the current administration under Prime Minister Balendra Shah from the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile, noting that these developments have sparked widespread debate and speculation, including rumors regarding the announcement of the next Dalai Lama from within Nepal.
Shrestha highlighted the recent official celebration of the Dalai Lama's birthday in Kathmandu—attended by Western diplomats with government permission—as a significant shift in diplomatic posture that could compromise Nepal's sovereign interests to serve external geopolitical agendas.
"If the government reduces Nepal's long-standing independent and non-aligned foreign policy to a mere formality while, in practice, deviating from it in order to serve the strategic interests of any major power, it will expose Nepal's national sovereignty and independence to grave risks and challenges."
In the statement, former Foreign Minister has warned that patriotic citizens would strongly resist any actions that jeopardize Nepal’s non-aligned stance, demanding an immediate halt to activities that risk undermining the country's national sovereignty.
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