Indian Minister of State for Defence Palam Raju on Thursday praised army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani’s statement regarding withdrawal of troops from Siachen where an avalanche trapped 139 Pakistani soldiers and civilians. The minister told the local media that India appreciated the Pakistan Army’s chief’s statement. Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Smt Preneet Kaur also appreciated the statement, saying that the issue must be resolved.
Speaking to reporters, Kaur said it was a positive move by Pakistani military establishment and India would respond it with same gesture. Gen Kayani on Wednesday told the media that both India and Pakistan should talk about pulling out armies from the region and spend more on the development and prosperity of their people. However, he made it clear that it should not be taken as Pakistan’s weakness. He said the Pakistan Army was deployed in the region to defend borders of country.