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Shishir KhanalPhoto: US Embassy Nepal, Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsMinister of Foreign Affairs

Shishir Khanal

शिशिर खनालIn office since 27 March 2026 (13 Chaitra 2082 BS)Time in office: 6 months 4 daysEnglishनेपाली

Overview

Shisir Khanal is a Nepalese politician who has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2026. A senior member of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Khanal is a two-term member of parliament from Kathmandu 6, having been first elected in 2022 and re-elected in the 2026 general election amid the RSP's landslide victory. [Wikipedia]

शिशिर खनाल एक नेपाली राजनीतिज्ञ र राष्ट्रिय स्वतन्त्र पार्टीका सदस्य हुन्। उनी २०२२ मा काठमाडौँ ६ बाट प्रतिनिधि सभामा निर्वाचित भएका थिए। प्रधानमन्त्री पुष्पकमल दाहालले नागरिकता मुद्दामा अदालतले पदमुक्त गरेपछि गैरसांसद बनेका रास्वपाका सभापति रवि लामिछानेलाई पुनः गृहमन्त्री बनाउन अस्वीकार गरेपछिराष्ट्रिय स्वतन्त्र पार्टी (रास्वपा) सरकारबाट बाहिरिएको थियो । सो कारण कार्यभार सम्हालेको १९ दिनमै शिशिर खनाल पदमुक्त भएका छन् । [विकिपिडिया]

  • A senior member of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Khanal is a two-term member of parliament from Kathmandu 6, having been first elected in 2022 and re-elected in the 2026 general election amid the RSP's landslide victory.[Kathmandu Post, 6 March 2026; Ratopati, 9 March 2026]
  • He briefly served as Minister of Education, Science and Technology in 2023 before the RSP withdrew from the coalition government.[The Himalayan Times, 5 February 2023]
  • Khanal is a co-founder of Teach For Nepal and has been active in RSP's leadership, including as head of its foreign affairs and tourism departments, a central secretariat member, and a key negotiator in post-election alliances.[The Wire, 12 March 2026]
  • He had been mentioned as a potential candidate for Foreign Minister in the new RSP-led government.[Ratopati, March 2026]

Early life and education

  • He earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in International Political Economy and Diplomacy from the University of Bridgeport and a Master of International Public Affairs (MIPA) from the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2005.[Wisconsin Alumni Association]

Career

  • He entered politics with the Rastriya Swatantra Party and won the Kathmandu 6 seat in the 2022 general election.[Nepal News, 23 November 2022]
  • He served as the Education Minister from 17 January to 5 February 2023.[thehimalayantimes.com]
  • In the 2026 general election, following widespread Gen Z protests and political upheaval, Khanal was re-elected with a decisive margin of 27,719 votes, contributing to Rastriya Swatantra Party's overwhelming mandate.[Kathmandu Post, 6 March 2026]

Positions held

Timeline

  1. 2026-03-27Became Minister of Foreign Affairs[Wikipedia]

Related people

Profile text from Wikipedia (Shisir Khanal, revision used), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; short excerpts, each with the reference Wikipedia cites. Information from public sources. Every statement links its published source. Last reviewed 2026-10-01. Suggest a correction