The Nepal government is drafting a new criminal code making it illegal for one person to convert another.

According to Compass Direct News, the code forbids a person of one faith to “convert a person or abet him to change his religion”.

The code also criminalises behaviour that may in any way cause someone to lose their faith or change to a different religion.

The crime carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of up to 50,000 Nepalese rupees (around £420).

The proposed code has come as a surprise to Christians living in the country, a former Hindu monarchy.

“We have not heard of this,” said Lokmani Dhakal, general secretary of the Nepal Christian Society, was quoted as saying by CDN.

Nepal’s leadership has spent the last year in a protracted wrangle over a new constitution for the fledgling republic.

A crisis was averted last Sunday when the deadline for the constitution was extended by three months.

The draft constitution makes no mention of religious freedom and last week’s crisis has only unnerved Christians.

“Not everyone is happy about the extension. We hope the legislators will not betray the people this time,” said Catholic Bishop Anthony Sharma.

“However, there is a small sense of relief as well. The country was moving towards zero state [as the interim constitution, parliament and government would have been dissolved if the three-month extension had not been granted].

“So there’s relief at having averted that peril.”