Talks over Siachen end in failure

By Jyotsna Singh
BBC News, Delhi

Siachen has seen bitter fighting since 1984

Talks between India and Pakistan over withdrawing troops from the Siachen glacier have ended without success.

It was the tenth round of talks aimed at demilitarising the region, regarded as the world's highest battleground.

The two sides have held discussions on a number of bilateral issues as part of a major peace process that began nearly two years ago.

Indian defence minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters: "We could not make any breakthrough."

Pakistani rejection

Both sides are keen to withdraw soldiers from Siachen, but cannot agree on how to pull them out.

India holds a substantial portion of the glacier and wants both sides to formally mark their current troop positions before any withdrawal.

Pakistan rejects the idea as it believes that would be tantamount to accepting India's control over the glacier.

The dispute over Siachen, which is 5,500 metres above sea level, began more than 20 years ago.

Pakistan accused India of increasing its military presence in an area belonging to Pakistan in 1984. India rejects the charge.

Fighting took place after Pakistan deployed its troops in the area to try and dislodge Indian forces. Both sides agree hundreds of lives have been lost in the last 20 years, mostly due to the extreme cold and high altitude rather than in combat.

More than 7,000 Indian troops and 4,000 Pakistani soldiers are still deployed in the area, military experts quoted by news agency AFP said.