Balen Shah Reassigns National Investigation Department Under Prime Minister’s Office

May 15, Kathmandu – The National Investigation Department, the country’s sole intelligence agency, has once again been placed under the Prime Minister’s Office. On Wednesday, the division of responsibilities regulations were amended to bring the intelligence agency back under the Prime Minister’s Office.

During the tenure of UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli as Prime Minister, the National Investigation Department, which was previously under the Ministry of Home Affairs, had been reassigned to the Prime Minister’s Office. However, following the JNU movement, the government led by Sushila Karki reverted the department back under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

After the parliamentary elections on February 3, where the Rastriya Swatantra Party won nearly two-thirds majority and Balen Shah became Prime Minister, the intelligence agency was again placed under the Prime Minister’s Office. The Good Governance Roadmap 2082, released by this government on March 29, had recommended placing the intelligence agency under the Prime Minister’s Office.

The 802-page roadmap, prepared by the committee chaired by Govinda Bahadur Karki, Secretary of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers’ Office, explicitly suggests maintaining the intelligence agency under the Prime Minister’s Office. The roadmap states, “The department should be kept under the Prime Minister’s Office without repeatedly changing ministries to provide stability.” It also mandates that this adjustment be implemented within three months to ensure institutional stability.

In line with these recommendations, the intelligence agency has now been placed under the Prime Minister’s Office, according to sources from the Prime Minister’s Office.