Bala Nanda Sharma
Bala Nanda Sharma (also spelled Balananda Sharma; ) is a retired military officer who is serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal since 2025.
Early life and education
Lieutenant General Sharma (Ret’d) began his military service with a commission into the Nepali Army in 1969. Alongside his professional career, he pursued higher education, earning a master’s degree in history from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He further advanced his academic and professional training as a graduate of the National Defence College in New Delhi, India.
Career
Military career
Spanning nearly forty years of service, Lieutenant General Sharma built a career marked by diverse responsibilities in command, staff, and diplomatic roles. From 1989 to 1992, he represented Nepal as Defence Attaché in the Soviet Union, a posting that coincided with the transition geopolitical shifts at the close of the Cold War. During Nepal’s internal conflict, he led the Far Western Division as Division Commander. Within the national military structure, he later assumed senior positions including Commandant of the Army Command and Staff College and Director General of Military Training.
On the international stage, Sharma contributed to peacekeeping as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights, Syria, serving from 2004 until 2007. He concluded his active military career upon retirement in 2007.
Academic and peace building career
After retiring from military service, Lieutenant General Sharma devoted his efforts to academia and peacebuilding. He joined the Faculty of Conflict, Peace and Development Studies at Tribhuvan University, where he became actively involved in teaching and research. In 2009, he assumed a pivotal role in Nepal’s peace process as Coordinator of the Special Committee Secretariat, heading a team of specialists tasked with overseeing the supervision, integration, and rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants into both civilian life and the Nepali Army. He has continued to contribute as a resource person for United Nations peace operations, frequently serving as an expert and consultant.
Following the conclusion of the ex-combatant integration program in 2012, Sharma returned fully to academic work. He resumed teaching at Tribhuvan University and went on to serve for ten years as Principal of the Institute of Crisis Management Studies, a master’s level program affiliated with the university.
Public service
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lieutenant General Sharma served as Chair of the High‑Level COVID Control and Management Committee (CCMC), overseeing national coordination efforts in response to the crisis. In recent years, he has taken on another major responsibility, heading a national committee of academicians and professionals dedicated to establishing the National Defence University of Nepal. His leadership in this initiative has encompassed the planning of physical infrastructure, the design of academic curricula, and the drafting of legislative frameworks to support the institution’s foundation.
Political career
On 26 December 2025, Sharma was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in Prime Minister Sushila Karki's interim government. He was sworn in by President Ram Chandra Paudel at Sheetwal Niwas, Kathmandu, during the fifth expansion of the Council of Ministers.