New Delhi: India on October 22 said modalities were being worked out on redeployment of troops from the international border with Pakistan and it was upto Islamabad to decide on when it wished to start pull back of its troops.

''Modalities are being worked out by the Defence Ministry,'' an External Affairs Ministry spokesman told reporters in New Delhi.

''What Pakistan does on its own side, it is upto them,'' he said when asked about Pakistan military spokesman Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi's remarks that Islamabad would not start its pledged withdrawal of troops from its Eastern border with India until New Delhi made the first move.

"India has to start first," Qureshi was quoted as saying. "Pakistan is waiting for India, obviously. They are the ones who concentrated their troops on the border first. We didn't do it, it's the Indians who did it," Qureshi said.

The MEA spokesman said India's decision to re-deploy was taken keeping in view a number of factors including being ready to respond in case of any emergency.

On reports of clandestine transfer of nuclear technology by Pakistan to North Korea, he said, ''We don't find these revelations very surprising. We remain concerned about them and we are keeping a close watch on these developments.''

''This is a major issue that has been brought to the attention of the international community,'' he said.

PTI