The British Embassy in Kathmandu has said Ambassador Andrew James Sparkes was not advocating for forced religious conversion in his open letter to Constituent Assembly (CA) members.

Issuing a press statement, the Embassy clarified ,"it is for the members of the Constituent Assembly and Nepal’s citizens to decide what kind of Constitution Nepal should have."

But, "this was simply a reference to a fundamental individual right, set out in Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights," the Embassy said, "It was not a reference to supporting “forced” conversion or proselytizing." “British Embassy does not hold any position on secularism and that is a matter for Nepali people and their elected representatives to decide, adds the statement,” said a press release.

"The Embassy has enormous respect for the beliefs and cultures of Nepal’s many and diverse peoples," it said, "The Embassy regrets any misunderstanding that the comment may inadvertently have caused.”