Siachen talks over, Defence secys agree to meet again

India and Pakistan concluded their eighth round of talks on the Siachen issue today, with both sides agreeing to meet again and discuss the ‘‘modalities for disengagement and redeployment of troops’’, including the authentication of maps which show the existing positions held by both sides.

The two Defence secretaries, Ajai Vikram Singh and Hamid Nawaz, who led their respective delegations, held the discussions in an extremely ‘‘frank and cordial atmosphere’’, official sources said.

Considering that both sides agreed to disagree on the essential issue of map authentication, the fact that they agreed to meet again is said to be a significant development in India-Pakistan relations which otherwise moves at a snail’s pace.

Military experts from both sides, that is, the two Directors-Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs), who deal with the nitty-gritty of issues, also met to discuss the prickly issues at hand.