Early life

Honorable Foreign Minister Mr. Bala Nanda Sharma (Lt. General, Retired) assumed the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal on 26 December 2025.

Over the course of a distinguished military career spanning nearly four decades, Lt. Gen. Sharma served in a wide range of command, staff, and diplomatic appointments. Notably, he was posted as Defence Attaché to the former Soviet Union from 1989 to 1992, during a period of significant geopolitical transition marking the end of the Cold War. During Nepal’s internal conflict, he served as Division Commander in the Far Western Division. His senior leadership roles within the Nepali Army included Commandant of the Army Command and Staff College and Director General of Military Training.

At the international level, Lt. Gen. Sharma served the United Nations as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights, Syria, from 2004 to 2007. He retired from active military service in 2007.

Following his retirement, he transitioned to academia and peacebuilding. He joined the Faculty of Conflict, Peace and Development Studies at Tribhuvan University, where he has contributed extensively to teaching and research. From 2009, he played a key role in Nepal’s peace process, serving as Coordinator of the Special Committee Secretariat and leading a team of experts responsible for the supervision, integration, and rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants into society and the Nepali Army. He continues to serve as a resource person for United Nations peace operations and is frequently engaged as an expert and consultant.

After the completion of the ex-combatant integration process in 2012, Lt. Gen. Sharma returned fully to academia. He taught at the Faculty of Conflict, Peace and Development Studies and served for a decade as Principal of the Institute of Crisis Management Studies, a master’s level program affiliated with Tribhuvan University.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he chaired the High-Level COVID Control and Management Committee (CCMC). For the past five years, he has been leading a national committee of academicians and professionals tasked with developing the foundational infrastructure of Nepal’s National Defence University, including physical infrastructure, curriculum development, and legislative drafting.

Lt. General Sharma (Ret’d) was commissioned into the Nepali Army in 1969. He holds a master’s degree in history from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and is a graduate of the National Defence College, New Delhi, India.

Honorable Minister Mr. Bala Nanda Sharma is married and has one son and one grandson.
 

26 December 2025