Indo-Pak defence secretary-level talks conclude

India and Pakistan after a gap of three years,the 12th round of Defence Secretary-level talks conclude between India and Pakistan on the Siachen issue in New Delhi.The issue came up for discussion during the 12th round of two-day Defence Secretary level talks between the two sides."The talks were held in a constructive framework. Both sides apprised each other of their perception about the Siachen issue and also discussed the surrounding issues," Defence Ministry officials said. Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar led the Indian delegation at the talks with his Pakistani counterpart Lt General (Retd) Syed Ather Ali.The decision to resume the talks between the two countries was taken last year during the meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Thimpu when they decided to take forward the dialogue process. While the Pakistani delegation has two civilian officials and four military officers, the Indian side includes Special Secretary R K Mathur, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt General A M Verma and Surveyor General S Subha Rao. The Pakistani Defence Secretary met Defence Minister A K Antony in the afternoon for over 20 minutes. New Delhi has held that despite several assurances from Pakistan that its soil will not be allowed to be used for terror acts against India, the terror infrastructure remained intact.The defence secretary-level talks between the two countries on Siachen dates back to 1985.