Kayani calls for talks with India

Handout photo by the ISPR dated April 8, 2012 shows the Army chief on a 
visit to Siachen to overlook rescue efforts at the Gayari sector.—ISPR Photo

SKARDU: Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani says Pakistan is ready for talks with India over resolving a dispute over a Himalayan glacier.

He says the dispute over the Siachen Glacier “should be resolved” and “how it is resolved the two countries have to talk about.”

Kayani was speaking Wednesday in a rare question and answer session with the media after visiting the site of an avalanche near the glacier that has buried 138 Pakistani soldiers.

Kayani, who was accompanied by President Zardari and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, witnessed the ongoing rescue operation at the Gayari base.

Kayani’s comments could signal a softening of the army’s position towards India, a country which has fought three wars with Pakistan.