Kathmandu, Oct. 10 -- Soon after Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai took office in July last year, he constituted a five-member expert panel to recommend reforms at Nepal Airlines.

In September last year, the committee, headed by Sushil Ghimire, a former tourism secretary, recommended in its 46-page report immediate reform measures for 13 areas. Appointing the chief of the ailing national flag carrier through an open competition, rather than on political preference, was one of them.

Seven months later, in April this year, Ghimire himself was appointed the executive chairman, and he accepted the political appointment, against what he himself had recommended.

Then on Thursday, the Cabinet went one better. It appointed Prakash Poudel, who ...