India, Pak begin talks on Sir Creek

NEW DELHI, June 18:
The 12th round of talks between Pakistan and India on their maritime boundary dispute in the Sir Creek region began here today.
Indian delegation is led by S Subba Rao, Surveyor General, while Pakistani group is headed by Rear Admiral Farrokh Ahmed, Additional Secretary-III in the Ministry of Defence.
The two-day talks on the Sir Creek issue between officials from the Defence Ministries of the two sides are being held a week after the meeting on another important issue of Siachen Glacier which failed to make any headway. Both the countries reiterated their positions on the issue.
The Indo-Pak talks on Sir Creek were initially scheduled for mid-May this year but had to be postponed after the Pakistani side insisted that Siachen should be discussed first, apparently to see how far New Delhi was serious in resolving the issue which is seen as “doable” by both the sides.
Pakistan and India held their last meeting on Sir Creek in Rawalpindi on May 20 and 21 last year and discussed the Pakistan-India land boundary in Sir Creek area and the delimitation of International Maritime Boundary between the two countries.
Sir Creek is a 96-km strip of water that is disputed between India and Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch marshlands. The Creek, which opens into the Arabian Sea, divides the Kutch region of Gujarat and the Sindh province of Pakistan. (PTI)