Top defence officials from India and Pakistan kicked off talks on Monday over a disputed glacier high in the Himalayas where troops have clashed intermittently for decades.
Defence Secretary Syed Ather Ali and his Indian counterpart Pradeep Kumar began two days of closed-door talks in New Delhi on Monday on withdrawing forces from the Siachen glacier, where they have faced off since 1984. This is the first meeting of the defence secretaries in more than three years. “The talks were held in a constructive framework. Both sides apprised each other of their perception of the Siachen issue and also discussed the surrounding issues,” Pakistani Defence Ministry officials were quoted as saying by Online news agency. The Pakistani delegation has two civilian officials and four military officers and the Indian side includes Special Secretary RK Mathur, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt General AM Verma and Surveyor General S Subha Rao.
The Pakistani defence secretary met Indian Defence Minister AK Antony in the afternoon for over 20 minutes. The two sides may come up with a joint statement after the talks today (Tuesday), the officials said. “Political will is needed to solve this issue. It is not a difficult issue,” former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told Reuters. “If this is resolved then it will improve the environment and climate for resolving other issues,” he added. “Success could be measured in various terms but I would say the real barometer would be any progress over Siachen,” a senior Indian government official said. These talks are the 12th round the two sides have held on the dispute. “I don’t think there will be any progress. If you think the cricket diplomacy is going to help then let me tell you real issues can’t be solved in the context of public relations gestures,” Kanwal Sibal, a former Indian foreign secretary, told Reuters.
