New Delhi, Aug. 5: “Authentication” of existing positions appears to have stalled talks on the Siachen glacier, being held for the first time in six years.

At the end of the first day of the two-day talks here, Pakistan demanded an “unconditional” withdrawal of troops from Siachen. But India said it was willing to do so only after the two sides “authenticate” the positions their respective troops hold.

The ongoing talks are the eighth round of discussions between the two sides. But there was little to suggest today that any movement forward had been made.

Twice in the past, in 1989 and 1992, an agreement on Siachen appeared close but stalled on the issue of “authentication”. The dispute over the highest battleground in the world costs the South Asian neighbours over a million dollars every day.

Pakistan’s reluctance to agree to India’s suggestion for an “authentication” is understandable. For years, the leadership in Islamabad had been telling the domestic audience and the outside world that it is battling India on the glacier.

An “authentication” would mean the two sides mark their positions and exchange maps; this would end up proving that Pakistan is nowhere near the glacier and is fighting at much lower and disadvantageous positions on the Soltoro Range. Siachen has been under India’s control for years.

Defence secretary Ajai Vikram Singh kicked off the meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Lt Gen. (retd) Hamid Nawaz Khan this morning with an hour-long exclusive discussion. The delegation-level talks followed. Khan and members of his team called on defence minister Pranab Mukherjee later.

A joint statement will be issued tomorrow even though not much headway is expected from the talks — a sign that neither side wants to pull out of the discussions despite the lack of success.

On arrival, the Pakistan defence secretary said he had come to India with a “positive and open” mind. But there was little to suggest that either side had made a serious attempt to break away from past positions and float new proposals.

But despite differences over the glacier, the neighbours have had a ceasefire along the Actual Ground Position Line in Siachen since November.