Monday, March 28 2005 22:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Criticising the US decision to supply F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, India today (Mar 28, 2005) said it would have an "adverse impact" on the ongoing Indo-Pak composite dialogue process.

"The US decision to supply F-16s to Pakistan at this point is inappropriate and ill-timed since the two countries are engaged in a composite dialogue on improving bilateral relations. This will have an adverse impact on the ongoing dialogue," Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in Kolkata on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

The Defence Minister said that the F-16s were not for use for fighting terrorism by Pakistan, but for waging a full-fledged war. "The previous track record had shown that Pakistan had not fired a single shot at any other direction, but India."

India, he said, had already voiced its concern to US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also spoken to US President George W Bush on this issue, he said.

Asked to comment on the US offer to sell military hardware to India, Mukherjee said that never before had such an offer been made.

Stating that India had no intention of joining an arms race in the subcontinent, he added that India would consider the offer to procure the equipment keeping in view the requirements of the three services for Defence preparedness.