'Constructive' talks on Siachen glaicer

NEW DELHI: After a gap of three years, India and Pakistan on Monday once again brought the contentious issue of demilitarisation of Siachen glacier back on the discussion table, in the 12th round of the two-day Defence Secretary level talks.

"The talks were held in a constructive framework. Both sides stated their perception about the Siachen issue and also discussed the surrounding issues," Defence Ministry officials said. Both sides are expected to come up with a joint statement on the final day of the talks on Tuesday.Pakistan has been asking for demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier and raised the issue of climate change there due to the presence of troops from both sides and its effects on the environment. Siachen, with an area of over 2,500 sq km, world's highest militarised zone, is a long-pending issue between India and Pakistan over differences on the location of the 110-km-long actual ground position line (AGPL), which passes through the Saltoro ridge and the Siachen glacier. The AGPL is not clearly marked beyond the grid reference point of NJ-9842. "India wants Pakistan to authenticate the AGPL both on the maps and the ground as it occupies most of the dominating posts on the Saltoro ridge," sources said.Pakistan, in turn, has been insisting on maintaining the pre-1972 troop positions as agreed in the Simla agreement.Indian delegation led by Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar met his counterpart Lt General (Retd) Syed Ather Ali, heading the Pakistani team, having two civilian officials and four military officers. The Indian side includes special secretary R K Mathur, Director General of Military Operations Lt General A M Verma, and Surveyor General S Subha Rao.

source: ExpressBuzz.com