Ishwar Pokhrel
Ishwor Pokhrel is the current senior Vice-president of CPN (UML). Pokhrel has also served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal. He was also Minister of Defence in the Second Oli cabinet.
He also served as Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies. He was also Minister of Foreign Affairs from 20 May 2012 to 28 May 2012.
Pokhrel, publicly supported former President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s decision to return to active politics. Speaking at an event commemorating her late husband Madan Bhandari, he praised her reengagement and criticized the current party leadership for resisting her return. Pokhrel described Bhandari’s activism as unsurprising, given her longstanding role within the party, and encouraged moving beyond debates over her suitability for reentry. At a separate event covered by a national news agency, Pokhrel emphasized that her return should not be narrowly theorized, arguing that her political background and faith in politics warranted a broader and more inclusive view.