Zardari says India, Pak should demilitarise Siachen
India and Pakistan should demilitarise the Siachen glacier as the troop deployment on the snowy heights has become a burden on the exchequers of the two countries, President, Mr Asif Ali Zardari, has said.
Mr Zardari's fresh comments on the glacier on which the two countries have held a number of rounds of talks at the defence secretary-level came days after the parleys between the foreign ministers' of the two countries here.
The time has come to demilitarise the Siachen glacier because of the high cost of the troop deployments, Mr Zardari told the media last night at the Chief Minister's House in the southern city of Karachi.
He claimed that the Indian army's expenditure on troops deployed on Siachen was more than that of Pakistan. Despite this, Pakistan had suggested to India that both countries should withdraw their forces from the region, he said.
On the foreign minister-level talks between the two countries on July 15, Mr Zardari claimed that India's domestic politics was responsible for glitches in the parleys.
However, Zardari said Pakistan was hopeful about the resumption of "meaningful dialogue" with India.
Addressing another gathering at the same venue, the President said Pakistan had hired an international firm to work as an arbitrator to resolve differences with India on the sharing of river waters.
Since India had not come up with a viable solution to the water issue, Pakistan opted for international arbitration, he said.
"The first time I met (Indian Prime Minister) Dr Manmohan Singh, the first thing I spoke to him about was water. I am talking about the time almost two years ago, when I had just become President and I was at a UN programme where I met Dr Manmohan Singh," he told the gathering.
"When (Singh) met me again, he said if there is a dispute on water, then you can go to the World Bank, you can go to the adjudicating authorities with your problem and we will not mind that," he said.
Zardari said he had then consulted the water and power ministry and the federal government and Pakistan hired an international firm as an arbitrator to negotiate with the World Bank and the Indian government on the water problem.
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