Islamabad: Pakistan and India will hold discussions on the Siachen glacier row on 11th and 12th June, less than a month after army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani sought talks with New Delhi to demilitarise the world’s highest battleground, authorities here said.
The next round of India-Pakistan defence secretaries’ talks on Siachen will be held June 11-12 in Islamabad, reported Dawn on Friday.
Reuters
The announcement came after Pakistan sought postponement of talks on Sir Creek that were to be held in New Delhi next week.The Foreign Office said the new dates would be decided through diplomatic channels.
Siachen was back in the news last month when Pakistan lost nearly 140 soldiers after a massive avalanche entombed the Gayari army base 7th April.
The incident prompted Kayani to say that Islamabad was open for talks with India to demilitarise Siachen. “Peaceful coexistence between the two neighbours is very important so that everybody can concentrate on the well-being of the people,” he had said 18th April after a visit to oversee the rescue efforts.
“Both countries should sit together to resolve all the issues including Siachen,” Kayani added.
Over a fortnight later, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said that India should take “a bold initiative” to resolve the dispute over Siachen. Khar said Pakistan believed that all outstanding issues with India could be resolved through dialogue.
IANS
