Nepal, June 13 -- A government proposal to overhaul Nepal's civil service has triggered anxiety, frustration and intense lobbying within the country's bureaucracy, as thousands of senior officials confront the prospect of being forced into retirement years earlier than expected.

At the centre of the controversy is the draft Civil Service Bill prepared by the Ministry of Land Management, Co-operatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration. The bill proposes retiring civil servants once they reach either 55 years of age or complete 30 years of service-a one-time provision that, if enacted, would result in the immediate departure of around 10,000 government employees.

The proposal has effectively split the bureaucracy into two camps...