Indian Defence Minister AK Antony told India’s Lower House of parliament, the Lok Sabha, that Pakistan had requested New Delhi to consider withdrawing troops from Siachen following heavy casualties in a recent avalanche on the Pakistani side of the glacier. In a written reply to a question, Antony said that during his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 8, President Asif Zardari had pointed out the need for resolving all issues, including Sir Creek, Siachen and Kashmir, to improve bilateral relations.
Antony also said that 54 missing Indian military personnel of the 1965 and 1971 wars are believed to be in Pakistan’s custody. He said that India had repeatedly taken up the issue with Pakistan but it does not acknowledge any such personnel in its custody. “A delegation of 14 relatives of missing defence personnel also visited 10 jails in Pakistan from June 1 to 14, 2007, but could not conclusively confirm the physical presence of any missing defence personnel,” he said.
