Former Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey has said that he had not made any unnecessary expenses from the state fund.

In a statement issued from detention at Prahari Prahara Gadh, former Minister Pandey refuted the allegations made by Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan in the white paper he presented that he made unnecessary expenditure during his visit to various countries.

Stating that the expenses incurred during his visits to China, Pakistan, Russia, Qatar, Geneva and New York have been mentioned in the White Paper presented by the Finance Minister, former Minister Pandey said, “In none of these visits I was alone, there were other members of the delegation whose names were duly approved by the cabinet. I have not taken a single rupee more as allowance from the state exchequer for any of my visits abroad other than that strictly stipulated by the law.”

“If the hidden agenda of circulating these negative propaganda of Nepal’s Foreign Minister’s visits to China, Pakistan, Russia and participation in the UN General Assembly and UN Human Rights Commission session is to isolate Nepal’s heritage of independent personality in the world arena, I would like to urge the Prime Minister that this will not be in the national interest of Nepal,” former Minister Pandey stated.

Pandey further added that he had already cancelled the passport that he received as Foreign Minister.

The government arrested former foreign minister Pandey along with former ministers Kamal Thapa, Tanka Dhakal, State Minister Shrish Shumsher Rana and Assistant Minister Niksha Shumsher Rana in the charge of holding secret meetings to thwart the people’s movement.