Former Home Minister Balkrishna Khand's Lawyers Argue Against Treason Charges in Bhutanese Refugee Case

Kathmandu. Lawyers for former Home Minister and Nepali Congress leader Balkrishna Khand have argued that attempts to keep the details of Bhutanese refugees organized and systematic were being twisted into treason. Advocate Pankaj Kumar Karna stated that it was not appropriate to label former minister Khand as a traitor for making decisions to organize Bhutanese refugees and maintain records of their births and deaths.

In the case being heard in the bench of Kathmandu District Court Judge Tej Bahadur Khadka, lawyers for the defendants have been arguing for a week. On Thursday, Advocate Karna, on behalf of Khand, argued that the intention was to keep track of Bhutanese refugees. 'It appears the decision was made to prevent other individuals from becoming refugees,' Karna said. 'Since the refugees' names were already collected in the data, there is no possibility for a second person to become a refugee.'