A joint statement issued here at the conclusion of the talks did not point to any progress but affirmed a desire to continue the dialogue process. It said the two sides will meet again at mutually agreed dates to be decided.

There was no joint news conference by officials of the two sides. The India delegation flew to Lahore later in the afternoon on way to New Delhi.

The Pakistan side was led by Defence Secretary Nargis Sethi and the Indian side by her counterpart Shashikant Sharma. They signed a joint statement at the end of the talks.

But briefly speaking to the media representatives before departure, the Indian defence secretary said that the two countries had made progress on the Siachen dispute.

Sharma said both sides had exchanged recommendations in order to resolve the dispute. He said Pakistan and India had prepared a list of recommendations for a resolution which would be presented to both the governments.

The two countries also agreed to hold foreign minister level talks in Islamabad in July which would focus on the Siachen dispute along with other outstanding issues.

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