New Delhi:
After a gap of four years, defence secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan on the long-pending Siachen issue kicked off in New Delhi today.
Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar is leading the Indian delegation during the two-day talks with his Pakistani counterpart Lt General (Retd) Syed Ather Ali.
India and Pakistan decided to resume the talks last year after both Prime Ministers met in Thimpu and decided to take forward the dialogue process.
Ali arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for the 12th round of talks, which will conclude on Tuesday.
While the Pakistani delegation has two civilian officials and four military officers, the Indian side includes Special Secretary R K Mathur, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt General A M Verma and Surveyor General S Subha Rao, defence officials said.
Yesterday, claiming that about 42 terrorist camps were still functioning in Pakistan, Defence Minister A K Antony said that "co-operation" between the two nations wasn't possible if the terror tap continued to flow from across the border.
"Without destroying these terrorist camps, it would be difficult to have permanent cooperation in Indo-Pak relations," he said.
(Read: Pakistan must destroy terror camps, says Antony)The Pakistani Defence Secretary will call on Defence Minister A K Antony this evening.
Siachen, the world's highest militarised zone, has been 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 Soltoro Ridge and Siachen glacier.
"The AGPL is not clearly marked beyond the grid reference point of NJ-9842. The two countries have decided to de-militarise the Siachen glacier, but the matter is stuck as there are apprehensions on both sides," officials said.
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, they said.
Pakistan, in turn, has been insisting on maintaining the pre-1972 troop positions as agreed in the Simla Agreement.
Retaliating to Pakistan Army's advances in the glacier in 1984, India launched Operation Meghdoot and deployed its troops in most of the dominating features in the area.
The defence secretary-level talks between the two countries on Siachen dates back to 1985. The decision to hold joint talks was taken by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Pakistan President General Zia-ul-Haq. (With PTI Inputs)