Amid reports that Pakistan was ready to meet the Indian demand to authenticate positions held by Indian troops on the Siachen glacier, India on Thursday said both the countries were headed for a resolution of the vexed issue.
"I am sure we are heading for a resolution," Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt told reporters in Islamabad after arriving by a special plane for talks with his Pakistani counterpart Kamran Rasool beginning in Rawalpindi Friday.
Asked whether the two sides considered any new proposals, he said, "I am sure we will come across some of the new initiatives and make progress."
Later, Dutt, heading a nine-member delegation, elaborated on his remarks saying that he has come with an open mind to discuss the ideas put forward by both sides and he was optimistic to make progress.
There was considerable optimism about progress on talks to pull out troops from the Siachen glacier as a media report here quoted Pakistan officials as saying that Islamabad has expressed readiness to meet India's demand to authenticate troops positions on Siachen provided New Delhi agrees not to use it to make a legal claim over the glacier in the future.
In the set of proposals made to India in November last year, Pakistan has offered the "package deal".
"Pakistan has softened its stance from total opposition to authentication of troops and has offered India a package deal under which it agreed to the Indian demand but asked India for time bound withdrawal of its troops to the pre-conflict positions as quid-pro-quo", Pakistani officials were quoted as saying by the Daily Times.