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| Indo-Pak talks on Siachen bear little fruit | | Islamabad's rejects Delhi's troop authentication demand | |
BL KAK
NEW DELHI, Apr 7: With Pakistan's insistence on the conduct of official-level talks on the Saichen dispute on the basis of the unsigned agreement with India in 1989, the two-day parleys held at Rawalpindi between the Defence Secretaries of the two countries this April 6-7 have ended with no visible signs of a breakthrough. It is official: Amid broad smiles by the two Defence Secretaries the talks began in a "cordial" atmosphere.
However, it was short-lived joy, as Pakistan bluntly refused to accept India's demand for authentication of its troops position on the Siachen glacier. Indian delegation, EARLY TIMES was offically told on Saturday after the end of the Siachen talks, cannot be faulted for the demand it reiterated at Rawalpindi that Pakistan authenticate the troop position. The Pakistani delegation refused to oblige New Delhi, saying that the 1989 unsigned agreement on Siachen should serve as basis for the talks.
The nine-member Indian delegation was headed by Defence Secretary, Shekhar Dutt, and the Pakistan side was led by Defence Secretary, Kamran Rasul. Both the officials were assisted by their respective directors-general, military operations. Senior officials of foreign and defence ministries from both sides were also present. Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik, was also in Rawalpindi for the talks.
Before the two-day talks ended, Pakistan let it be nown tht it would "never" agree to India's demand of authentication of troop position on the Siachen glacier. Nontheless, it was conveyed to media, through "sources", that the precent positions could be "recorded" as part of a final deal to establish peace, making it clear that there was difference in "authentication and recording the troop positions".
These unidentifed "sources", based in Pakistan, also wanted the media to highlight this point: "Positions are recorded when an agreement is reached for the withdrawal of troops, but it should not be confused with the Indfian demand. The bottom line is that India being the aggressor should withdraw its troops unconditionally".
At the end of the Rawalpindi talks, the two Defence Secretaries sought to portray a picture of optimism, even as the two sides had stuck to their respective stance. The offical statement that the talks would continue did suggest that the two Defence Secretaries had yet to break the ice on Siachen. The Pakistani delegation had expected the Indian team to oblige Islamabad. However, the reiteration of the demand by India for authentication of troop position on Siachen glacier came as a major surprise and disappointment to Pakisatan.
The Rawalpindi talks also too .place at a time when Islamabad had expected New Delhi to consider the detailed 'package' plan proposed by Pakistan at the Foreign Secretary-level talks in November 2006 for a settlement of the issue. In January this year, while referring to the plan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Khurshid Kasuri, had declared at a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart that it addressed concerns of both the sides.
However, during the talks in Rawalpindi on April 6 and 7, the Indian delegation was unwilling to consider it till the authentication of the current position of troops. The thrust of the Pakistan side was on the implementation of the 1989 bilateral agreement on Siachen and the authentication of future positions.
According to sources privy to the meeting, the Indian delegation merely reiterated New Delhi’s old demand of first authenticating the current location of troops. Pakistan ruled it out on the premise that it would amount to endorsing the "Indian aggression". Pakistan maintains that India "forcibly occupied" the Siachen heights in 1984 in violation of the 1949 Karachi Agreement and the 1972 Simla Accord. Pakistan made it clear that if the Indian demand was to stake a claim on Siachen through the authentication process, that was unacceptable. India wants Pakistan to authenticate the 110-kilometre long Actual Ground Position Line on the Siachen glacier.
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