Tuesday, December 20 2005 09:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Taking a step forward towards resolution of the Sir Creek issue, India and Pakistan will hold technical-level talks on it here today (Dec 20, 2005) to decide terms of reference for Joint Survey of the disputed boundary.

At the two-day talks, the Indian side will be led by Deputy Surveyor General Brigadier Girish Kumar while the Pakistani delegation will be headed by Surveyor General Maj Gen Jameel-ur-Rehman Afridi, External Affairs Ministry spokesman said.

The two countries had decided to conduct the Joint Survey of the disputed boundary during talks between then External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on October four.

The Joint Survey will form the basis of negotiations for resolution of the issue that has been nagging the two countries since partition. The report of the survey will have to be presented for discussions at third round of Composite Dialogue Process beginning next month.

Sir Creek is one of the eight issues being discussed by the two countries under the Composite Dialogue Process, whose two rounds have been completed.

The two countries have already carried out a survey of the horizontal line and identified many boundary pillars erected well before 1947.