NP Saud sworn in as foreign minister

KATHMANDU: Narayan Prasad (NP) Saud of the Nepali Congress has been sworn in as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

President Ram Chandra Poudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Saud during a ceremony organized at the President’s office in Shital Niwas on Sunday.

Saud is a Central Committee member of the Nepali Congress. He was elected to the House of Representatives from Kanchanpur-2.

He is the fifth minister from the Nepali Congress in the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led coalition government. NC leaders Purna Bahadur Khadka, Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, Ramesh Rijal, and Sita Gurung are already discharging responsibilities in their respective ministries.

This is Saud’s second ministerial appointment. He served as Irrigation Minister after the 2013 Constituent Assembly election. He also served as Minister of State for Education after the 1999 election.

As per the power-sharing deal reached with the coalition partners, NC will get eight ministries. The party has yet to send names for three ministries.