# Shisir Khanal

_Nepalese politician_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/shisir-khanal
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> 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.

## Public office

- [Minister of Foreign Affairs](https://diginpl.com/next/explore/office/minister-foreign-affairs) — current (since 27 March 2026 · BS 13 Chaitra 2082 onwards)
- Officeholder record: https://diginpl.com/next/explore/person/shishir-khanal

## About

He briefly served as Minister of Education, Science and Technology in 2023 before the RSP withdrew from the coalition government.

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. He had been mentioned as a potential candidate for Foreign Minister in the new RSP-led government.

## 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](https://www.uwalumni.com/news/forward_khanal/))

## Career

- He entered politics with the Rastriya Swatantra Party and won the Kathmandu 6 seat in the 2022 general election. ([Nepal News](https://www.nepalnews.com/s/politics/rsp-s-shisir-khanal-wins-in-kathmandu-6))
- He served as the Education Minister from 17 January to 5 February 2023. ([thehimalayantimes.com](https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/rastriya-swatantra-party-decides-to-quit-govt))
- 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](https://kathmandupost.com/national/2026/03/06/rsp-s-shishir-khanal-wins-second-term-in-kathmandu-6))

_Cited sentences quoted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shisir_Khanal&oldid=1376902284), CC BY-SA 4.0._

## Related

- [Manoj Kumar Sharma (Justice)](https://diginpl.com/people/manoj-kumar-sharma-justice)
- [Dol Prasad Aryal](https://diginpl.com/people/dol-prasad-aryal)
- [Swarnim Wagle](https://diginpl.com/people/swarnim-wagle)
- [Biraj Bhakta Shrestha](https://diginpl.com/people/biraj-bhakta-shrestha)
- [Sobita Gautam](https://diginpl.com/people/sobita-gautam)
- [Mahabir Pun](https://diginpl.com/people/mahabir-pun)
- [Sasmit Pokharel](https://diginpl.com/people/sasmit-pokharel)
- [Deepak Kumar Sah](https://diginpl.com/people/deepak-kumar-sah)
- [Ruby Kumari Thakur](https://diginpl.com/people/ruby-kumari-thakur)
- [Ashok Raj Sigdel](https://diginpl.com/people/ashok-raj-sigdel)
- [Hikmat Kumar Karki](https://diginpl.com/people/hikmat-kumar-karki)
- [Surendra Raj Pandey](https://diginpl.com/people/surendra-raj-pandey)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Shisir Khanal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shisir_Khanal) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): शिशिर खनाल](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q115408372](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115408372) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: UNGA 2026 - Shisir Khanal 01 (cropped).jpg by Xuthoria (CC BY-SA 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UNGA_2026_-_Shisir_Khanal_01_(cropped).jpg)
- [Office record: Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Balen_Shah_cabinet&oldid=1377602298)
- [Wikipedia (English), revision used for cited facts: Shisir Khanal](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shisir_Khanal&oldid=1376902284) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wisconsin Alumni Association: Shisir Khanal MIPA'05](https://www.uwalumni.com/news/forward_khanal/)
- [Nepal News: RSP's Shishir Khanal wins in Kathmandu-6 (23 November 2022)](https://www.nepalnews.com/s/politics/rsp-s-shisir-khanal-wins-in-kathmandu-6)
- [thehimalayantimes.com: Rastriya Swatantra Party decides to quit govt](https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/rastriya-swatantra-party-decides-to-quit-govt)
- [Kathmandu Post: RSP's Shishir Khanal wins second term in Kathmandu-6 (6 March 2026)](https://kathmandupost.com/national/2026/03/06/rsp-s-shishir-khanal-wins-second-term-in-kathmandu-6)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Shisir Khanal, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: UNGA 2026 - Shisir Khanal 01 (cropped).jpg — Xuthoria, CC BY-SA 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Shisir Khanal". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/shisir-khanal. Retrieved 6 November 2026.