Sign in

Talks on Siachen in June: Antony

India today made it clear that it would insist on proper authentication by Pakistan of the troop positions in Siachen before any disengagement is undertaken and cautioned against expecting any "dramatic" result from the next round of talks in June on the vexed issue.

Updated on: May 8, 2012, 23:12:07 IST
PTI | By , New Delhi
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

India on Tuesday made it clear that it would insist on proper authentication by Pakistan of the troop positions in Siachen before any disengagement is undertaken and cautioned against expecting any "dramatic" result from the next round of talks in June on the vexed issue.

HT Image
HT Image

Defence minister AK Antony asserted in the Rajya Sabha that India stood by its stand on authentication and had neither hardened or softened the position.

"Some people have said we are hardening our position (on Siachen), some say we have softened the position. We have neither hardened nor softened our position. We are standing where we were," he said, replying to a debate on the functioning of the defence ministry.

While informing the House that the 13th round of Defence Secretary-level talks on Siachen will take place in the second week of next month, Antony said during the last round Pakistan had refused to authenticate the troop positions of the two countries but India insisted on it.

"Don't expect dramatic results. It is a complicated issue," he said.

Making it clear that India was keen on authentication and had "not changed the position", he said, "it is the national position, not government position. We took the position after considered decision."

Siachen, the world's highest militarised zone, has been a long-pending dispute between India and Pakistan as the border is not clearly demarcated in the glaciated region.

Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!

Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.