By Krittivas Mukherjee and Paul De Bendern
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A military standoff on the world's highest battlefield is the focus of a fresh round of talks between India and Pakistan, and any progress on one of the least thorny issues may give a boost to a tortuous peace process between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Defense secretaries from both countries began two days of closed-door talks in New Delhi on Monday on withdrawing forces from the mountainous no-man's land above the Siachen glacier in disputed Himalayan territory , where they have faced off since 1984.
Both countries have long accepted the need to demilitarize Siachen, located as high as 20,000 feet above sea level, and military experts say the inhospitable climate and avalanche-prone terrain have claimed more lives than gunfire.
This consensus makes Siachen one of the least difficult issues being discussed in a long-running, stumbling peace process India suspended after deadly attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008 by Pakistani-based militants.
Peace talks resumed this year after heavy lobbying by the United States, and this is the first meeting of the defense secretaries, the top civil servants in the respective defense ministries, in more than three years.
"Political will is needed to solve this issue. It is not a difficult issue," Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was part of efforts to revive talks after the Mumbai attacks, told Reuters.
"If this is resolved then it will improve the environment and climate for resolving other issues."
India and Pakistan have fought three wars and their rivalry complicates Western efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and the South Asia region. Continued...
NewsX - 58 minutes ago The Siachen deadlock continues, as India, Pakistan stick to positions in the 12th round of talks on de-militarization of the world's highest battlefield which open in New Delhi. Siachen talks have resumed after 3 years.
AFP - 6 hours ago NEW DELHI — Top defence officials from India and Pakistan kicked off talks on Monday to discuss a disputed Himalayan glacier that brought the neighbours to the brink of war in 1984. The two-day meeting in New Delhi between Indian Defence Secretary ...
The Hindu - 6 hours ago PTI After a gap of three years, defence secretaries of India and Pakistan on Monday met here to discuss the long-pending Siachen issue. Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar is leading the Indian delegation at the two-day talks with his Pakistani counterpart ...
| "Political will is needed to solve this issue. It is not a difficult issue," Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was part of efforts to revive talks after the Mumbai attacks, told Reuters. "If this is resolved then it will improve the environment and climate for resolving other issues." | |
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A military standoff on the world's highest battlefield is the focus of a fresh round of talks between India and Pakistan, and any progress on one of the least thorny issues may give a ...
EXPENSIVE BUY: Washington believed the aircraft could serve the purpose of diverting Pakistan's attention from 'the nuclear option' and in the event of an India-Pakistan war, give the US a few days to mediate and prevent nuclear conflict. ...
Times of India - 18 hours ago NEW DELHI: Pakistan has asked for "clarifications" on the exact status of India's "most wanted" terrorists' list after New Delhi goofed up big time on the contents. The Pakistani communication comes even as both countries restart talks on Siachen from ...
Times of India - May 28, 2011 KANNUR: Even though the defence secretary level talks between India and Pakistan are set to resume on Monday, defence minister AK Antony on Saturday asserted that dismantling of 42 terror camps in Pakistan was key to complete normalization of relations ...
BBC News - 9 hours ago Top defence officials from India and Pakistan are holding key talks over the disputed Siachen glacier. The two-day talks between the defence secretaries of the two countries in the Indian capital Delhi come after a gap of three years. ...
Hindustan Times - 18 hours ago Pressuring Pakistan to put an end to terrorism as well as pressing the issue of bringing the 26/11Mumbai attackers to justice is the template India is looking at the talks' process with its neighbour post David Headley revelations, external affairs ...
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