Kathmandu: In a major diplomatic reshuffle, The Government Of Nepal has recommended former Chief of Army Staff Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana as the country’s next Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The decision was finalized during a Cabinet meeting led by the Council of Ministers, which approved nominees for Ambassadorial positions across 13 countries, including key posts in India, China, and the United States.
Known throughout his military career as a dynamic and honest military leader, and the selection of General Rana brings extensive military, administrative, and international experience to the ambassadorial post in London.
General Rana served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Nepali Army from September 2012 to August 2015. His tenure at the helm of the military was marked by significant national developments, including overseeing the Integration of former Maoist combatants into the national army and directing large-scale rescue and relief operations following the devastating April 2015 earthquake.
General Rana has deep historical and military ties with the United Kingdom. Commissioned into the Nepali Army in 1974, he completed his basic military officer training at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he held various key leadership positions, including commanding the historic Purano Gorakh Battalion and serving on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He is also an alumnus of top military institutions, including the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in the United States and the National Defence College in Islamabad, Pakistan.