Kathmandu: The International Relations Committee of the Parliament has formed a ‘Foreign Policy Study Sub-Committee’ to study the overall foreign affairs of the country. The committee has formed a five-member sub-committee under the coordination of UML MP Deepak Prakash Bhat.

The members of the committee are Pushpa Bhusal (Congress), Sudan Kirati (Maoist), Sarala Yadav (Unified Socialist) and Renuka Gurung (Jaspa). The committee had decided to form a sub-committee after discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pavitra Niraula Kharel, chairperson of the committee, said that the foreign affairs of the country should be the same and there should be no radical change in it with time.

Against the backdrop of Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka doing his homework to bring a new foreign policy, the parliamentary committee has formed a sub-committee to provide further suggestions and assistance to the government on the issue. The sub-committee has been assigned the main responsibility of studying the reports of the committees formed by the government at different times and discussing with the relevant experts to form an opinion on foreign policy / formulation, operation and challenges. “The sub-committee will study and submit suggestions on how to implement the changes that have taken place in the overall international arena in a timely manner,” Bhatta told Nepalpage.

The sub-committee will address the gaps and new challenges in the conduct of foreign affairs at different times and give suggestions on how to formulate and implement the policy. “The sub-committee will study all the issues ranging from organizational and structural shortcomings in foreign affairs and submit a report with recommendations,” he said.

After the government started the homework of bringing another foreign policy, the committee took interest in it. In a program on November 19, Foreign Minister Khadka had said that the ministry was doing its homework on bringing foreign policy but the government has not discussed the issue in the parliamentary committee. The lawmakers had raised questions when the previous government did not cooperate with the parliamentary committee in bringing foreign policy and even now the new government has not discussed the issue. Last year, the KP Sharma Oli-led government introduced foreign policy. The then Foreign Minister Pradip Kumar Gyawali had issued ‘Foreign Policy-2077’.