It has emerged that Secretary Krishna Hari Pushkar was taken in for questioning by police after he sent a text message directly to Prime Minister Balen Shah’s personal phone number stating that he was applying for an ambassadorial post.
According to a high-level source, Pushkar messaged the prime minister asking for "guidance to apply for the position of ambassador."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for applications to fill vacant ambassadorial posts in nearly one and a half dozen countries, including India, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The deadline for submitting applications is Friday.
According to the source, Pushkar’s message to the prime minister read:
"Honorable Prime Minister, I am retiring on July 8, and there is no possibility of me becoming the chief secretary. Since applications for ambassadorial positions are open in the meantime, I am planning to apply. For your information, I seek your necessary guidance."
After receiving the message, PM Shah directed authorities to look into the matter, prompting the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office to bring Pushkar in for questioning.
As there was no basis for further action after the inquiry, police released Pushkar at 10 p.m. into the custody of his wife.
When asked about the content of the message and whether such a communication warranted an arrest, the prime minister’s press expert, Dipa Dahal, said that she was not aware of the matter and would only comment after verifying the facts.
Setopati also asked Home Secretary Ram Kumar Shrestha why a sitting secretary was taken into custody and subsequently released. He clarified that Secretary Pushkar was not "arrested," but rather called in for questioning regarding the message sent to the prime minister.
“He was not arrested as has been reported. He had apparently sent a personal message to the prime minister. The Crime Investigation Office called him in to inquire about that message. He was not detained,” Shrestha said.
