Sweden's King Gustaf offers stern comments on occupied Kashmir during India visit

NEW DELHI: King Carl Gustaf of Sweden on Wednesday said that his country had been acting as an observer in Indian-occupied Kashmir for the past several years and would continue to do so. 

The king made the remarks while talking to a group of journalists in the Indian city of Mumbai. The statement came in response to questions about Sweden acting as mediator to resolve the decades-long issue.

The illegal annexation of occupied Kashmir by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set off tensions with Pakistan, and the two nuclear-armed countries are still at loggerheads over the issue. 

The comments by the Swede follow similar remarks made by the Swedish foreign ministry on the eve of his visit to India, calling for the lifting of curfew in the state and the restoration of communications.

“We can say we have people from Sweden, trying to be observers in these areas in Kashmir for many many years. In that sense, we are trying to be an observer if possible,” King Gustaf said. 

The king also noted that the mandate of the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), of which it was a part, was too constrained for an in-depth analysis of the situation. 

The Swedish king and his wife are on a five-day visit to India. The royal couple met Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor BS Koshyari earlier in the day.