Pakistan-India Discuss Siachen Dispute

Islamabad, June 12, IRNA – Top Pakistani and Indian defense officials on Monday opened two-day talks to find out solution to dispute over Siachen, the world highest battle field, where both nuclear rivals have deployed thousands of troops for years, officials said. Defense Secretaries of the two countries will review several proposals to settle the dispute, they said. Shashikant Sharama is leading Indian delegation while Pakistani side is headed by Defense Secretary Ms. Nargis Sethi in talks at the Defense Ministry in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad. The two defense secretaries held one-on-one meeting ahead of the delegation-level meeting, official sources said. They will focus on Siachen dispute on Monday and will discuss the issue of determination of water boundaries on Tuesday. Besides defense officials, director general military operations and foreign ministry representatives are also participating in the talks. The Sichen Glacier dispute was once again highlighted after a massive avalanche struck a Pakistan camp in early April, killing 140 soldiers and civilian contractors with the army. There had been calls in Pakistan and India to find out solution to the longstanding dispute where harsh weather kill more soldiers than fighting. Both countries have held series of talks on the issue but have failed to reach to any agreement. They last held a meeting on the issue in the Indian capital of New Delhi in mid-2011 without making any progress. Siachen, the world's highest militarized zone, has been an outstanding issue between India and Pakistan as the border is not clearly demarcated in the glaciated region. Pakistan says that India occupied some of its territory in Siachen in mid-1980s. Pakistani army chief General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani, who visited Siachen in the wake of the avalanche, called for a negotiated end to the confrontation and said the glacier should be demilitarized. 'This conflict should be resolved, but how it is resolved, the two countries have to talk about it,' he had told reporters at Siachen. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan said last week that Pakistan has made several proposals including redeployment of forces. Indian Defense Minister A K Antony said recently that his country would insist on proper authentication by Pakistan of the troop positions in Siachen before any disengagement is undertaken and cautioned against expecting any 'dramatic' result from the talks in Pakistan. He told the parliament that India had neither hardened nor softened the position on authentication./end