India denies it is recalling envoy from Nepal

NEW DELHI - Amid negative reports in a section of the media, especially in Nepal, and speculation about the recall of India’s ambassador Rakesh Sood, the government Friday rallied to his defence, saying it has “full confidence” in him.

“The media reports are unfounded. The government of India has full confidence in him,” said Vishnu Prakash, spokesperson of the external affairs ministry.

The Foreign Office also rejected as “inaccurate” a report in the Telegraph, an Indian daily, that suggested the impending replacement of Sood and the increasing unpopularity of the Indian envoy among political circles in Nepal.

Sood is a “distinguished officer of the Indian Foreign Service who has served with dedication and commitment as India’s ambassador to Nepal since April 2008,” the spokesperson said.

“During his tenure, bilateral development cooperation and dialogue between the two countries has progressed substantively,” he said in a statement.

The report in the Telegraph also quoted some Maoist leaders, who were extremely critical of Sood’s allegedly “arrogant” way of functioning in Nepal. The report said that Sood’s likely successor is Jayant Prasad, currently special secretary in the ministry of external affairs.