Pakistan, India discuss key Nuclear CBMs, Sir Creek
By Shama Faisal - Pakistan Times Staff Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Indian officials concluded the first round of talks on the key issues of nuclear confidence building measures and Sir Creek here on Tuesday.

High foreign office officials of the two states deliberated over the nuclear CBMs and Sir Creek issues in two separate meetings in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Missile Tests

Officials from the two sides discussed the scroll of the agreement which implies informing each other about the missile tests capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The Pakistani delegation was led by additional secretary Tariq Usman Hyder while the Indian side was headed by his counterpart Meera Shankar.

Officials in the foreign office say, the two sides inform each other prior to the missile tests but now the two sides were trying to reach some understating to translate this practice into an agreement.

Sir Creek

Talks on the pending issue of Sir Creek were held in Rawalpindi. The two sides discussed details of the joint surveys that they had conducted in the past about the construction of boundary pillars.

Surveyor General of Pakistan Maj Gen Jameelur Rehman headed the Pakistani team while the Indian team was led by deputy surveyor Brigadier Girish Kumar. They also discussed modalities for conducting a joint survey of boundary pillars in the Sir Creek area.

The talks, as part of the ongoing composite dialogue process on issues related to Sir Creek, were held in “a very cordial and friendly atmosphere.” “Both sides positively understood each others points of view and a consensus generally emerged,” a press release by the Ministry of Defence said.

Concluding Session Discussions

The two sides agreed to hold a concluding session on Wednesday in the Ministry of Defence.

The head of Indian delegation, Brig. Girish Kumar, Deputy Surveyor General of India, also called on Rear Admiral Ahsanul Haq Chaudhri, Additional Secretary Ministry of Defence.

They discussed matters of mutual interest and expressed desire that such visits and interactions were beneficial for both countries.

The Additional Secretary told the Indian delegation that it was in the interest of both the countries to proceed further with the dialogue process. He said both the countries had made a good beginning and it would pave way for improving relations between the two countries in a step by step approach.●