Situation in Kashmir 'unsustainable', says Merkel

German Chancellor to take up the matter with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: The conditions in which the people of occupied Kashmir are living are unsustainable and must be improved, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters accompanying her on a trip to New Delhi where she is holding talks with India’s prime minister.

She said she would raise the matter with Narendra Modi later on Friday evening, adding that while she was aware of India’s position regarding occupied Kashmir she wanted to hear Modi’s plans for restoring calm to the region.

“The situation for the people there is currently not sustainable and must improve,” Merkel said. The province has been convulsed by protests against New Delhi’s decision to revoke the mainly Muslim area’s political autonomy.