New Delhi, May 24
India and Pakistan today yet again failed to reach a breakthrough on resolving the Siachen dispute but, on the brighter side, they decided to continue with the ceasefire, which has been holding since November, 2003.

The two countries are beginning from tomorrow two-day talks here on another bilateral dispute —Sir Creek — and the indications are that the Sir Creek talks may not be as icy as Siachen talks. It is understood that forward movement is possible on the Sir Creek issue.

As reported by The Tribune today, the Defence Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan on the Siachen issue in the framework of the composite dialogue concluded today with the two sides sticking to their respectively stated positions. The fate of the talks became clear last evening itself and today’s session was a mere formality, which lasted just half an hour.

Pakistan flatly refused to authenticate the actual ground position line. When Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had come here on a cricket diplomacy visit last year, the Indian sense was that Islamabad would be willing to make adjustments to resolve the Siachen dispute. Today, with General Musharraf facing myriads of problems, like holding general elections till 2007, the coming together of two former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto and a revolt-like situation in Baluchistan on the internal front and external problem like Pakistan'’ deteriorating relations with Afghanistan, he is hardly in a position to take a decision on a sensitive issue like Siachen.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee admitted today that India and Pakistan could not make any breakthrough over the Siachen issue. The minister, who spoke to reporters on the sidelines of an NCC function, said India wanted that before the process of withdrawal and redeployment of troops at the designated places were to start, Islamabad should authenticate in a document signed and agreed by both the sides the delineating of the existing positions of the troops in the world’s highest battlefield.

Mr Mukherjee said: “They (the Pakistanis) are not agreeing to this proposal for quite some time and this is the area of difference, which still continues. ”