Although he was not a military leader, but he came, he saw, and he won the heart and mind of many people in Pakistan. The word vini, vidi, vici may not be exactly applicable here but if there would have been any similar word it must have been for him. He is none other than outgoing ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan Mr. Tapas Adhikari who has just recently completed his assignment in Islamabad. Every year, Islamabad accredits hundreds of foreigners as diplomatic representatives of their country and only few of them may leave their imprint in Pakistani society. Ambassador Adhikari is one of them who has made a deep imprint in Pakistan and Pakistani society. Ambassador Adhikari was a friend of many leaders of Pakistani power corridor from Government to Parliament or at the bureaucracy.
Ambassador Adhikari was dear to his colleagues at the diplomatic circles because of his friendly behavior, knowledge, openness and his simple behavior. He was so close and deeply assimilated to the Pakistani society that many Pakistanis realized his foreignness at the time when he requested their permission to leave Pakistan after completing assignment. He was a part of diplomatic reception and parties, and all kinds of official programmes of the Pakistani Government and diplomatic mission.
Ambassador Adhikari was dear to many intellectuals of Pakistan including university teachers, political commentators, public intellectuals and journalists. In business circles, he was close to many prominent business leaders of Pakistan, and he had visited several Chamber of Commerce and Industry interacting with Pakistani businessmen. He took initiatives to re-start business linkage between Pakistan and Nepal and had been able to export Nepali tea to Pakistan after decades. As a staunch supporter of economic cooperation between Pakistan and Nepal through bilateral trade, he was always ready to extend support to the business community promoting bilateral business.
Being from a tourist recipient country and he knew the strength of tourism to transform the economy, Ambassador Adhikari was close to tourism and mountaineering related people in Pakistan. During his time, a group of Nepali mountaineering team had climbed Mt. K2 during the winter season which was a record making event. The heroic welcome of Nepali mountaineers by the President of Pakistan and Chief of Army Staffs of Pakistan was a living instance of his reach to the highest offices of Pakistan. Ambassador Adhikari had been able to bring Nepali mountaineers during covid time that had generated a good number of business and expanded employment opportunities in Gilgit Baltistan. His efforts to revive mountaineering during the pandemic in Gilgit Baltistan would be remembered forever. Ambassador Adhikari’s hard efforts and continuous engagements with travel trade people had paved the way for early recovery of tourism between Pakistan and Nepal. He was a staunch supporter to promote Gandhara tourism in Pakistan and brought Buddhists monks and intellectuals from Nepal to Pakistan. Moreover, he had always supported religious tourism in Pakistan.
Beside his regular duty as a representative of his country to Pakistan, he was a friend, mentor or guru of many Pakistanis. His Pakistani friends were mesmerizing his ability. Many Pakistanis were always confused about his nationality because of his deep knowledge of Pakistani history, geography, society, politics, economy, Urdu and Punjabi. He was just like another Pakistani but was a foreigner on a diplomatic assignment in Pakistan. Without any ancestral or familial linkage, how come a foreigner can know Pakistan more than a Pakistani does but he was a living example speaking in fluent Urdu and Punjabi referring to Mirza Ghalib prose and Bulle Shah Kalam. Islam and Sufism were his dear subjects. Those Pakistani people who encountered him know his intellectual acumen. His departure from Islamabad had a lasting impact on his friends and well-wishers. Even after his departure from Pakistan, many Pakistanis are in touch with him and planning to visit Nepal to meet him which shows his influence in Pakistani society.
Ambassador Adhikari has set many benchmarks in the diplomatic circle in Islamabad. Nepal is not a big political or economic power, but a right person can make a difference in bilateral relations in his country and in the receiving country. As a true friend of Pakistan, his contribution to Pakistan and Pakistani society is immense. He was a family friend of many Pakistanis. To recognize his contribution to bring Pakistan-Nepal closer, the Diplomatic in Sight group has honored him with the Global Ambassador Award. The Clear Skies has also thought it would be appropriate to recognize his contribution and cherish his love and friendship to Pakistan and Pakistani people, Ambassador Adhikari came, Ambassador Adhikari saw, and Ambassador Adhikari won the hearts and minds of many Pakistanis that’s why he should be given a title of Ambassador of the Year.