Senior Pakistani and Indian defence officials Friday said the two sides held constructive discussion with a view to take the process forward to end a long military stand-off on the world's highest battle field Siachen glacier.

They expressed satisfaction at the ceasefire currently in place since November 2003 and agreed to its continuation, said a joint statement issued after their two-day meeting.

The two sides further agreed to continue the discussions to resolve the Siachen issue in a peaceful manner, the statement said.

Thousands of Pakistani and Indian troops are stationed atop the 6,300-meter high ice field despite improvement in ties between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Pakistan says that India occupied most of Siachen in 1984 and a bloody clash erupted in 1987 to win supremacy over the glacier.

The two countries have held several rounds of talks over Siachen since 1984 but they have failed to settle the dispute.

Source: Xinhua