Pak hopes for progress on Siachen troop pullout

Pakistan said it hoped to achieve progress on the issue during the Defence Secretary-level talks in New Delhi.

Pakistan on Friday said it hoped to achieve progress on the issue of the troop pullout from the world's highest battlefield Siachen glacier during the Defence Secretary-level talks in New Delhi later in May.

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On Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement in Parliament on Thursday that there was no decision "at present" to pull out troops from Siachen glacier, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said that different versions were flying around, therefore she would not like to comment on his remarks.

For its part, Pakistan hopes to achieve progress in the Defence Secretary-level talks to be held in New Delhi on May 23 and 24 to discuss Siachen and Sir Creek issues under the Composite Dialogue process, she said.

"The issues have been discussed in the first two rounds. We hope to achieve progress and move forward in the third round," Aslam said in Islamabad.

On Sir Creek, a small disputed stretch of coastal area in Rann of Kutch off Gujarat coast, the two sides have conducted a joint survey and explored possibilities to reach an understanding based on its results.