Friday, April 1 2005 15:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Veteran CPM (Communist Party of India) leader Jyoti Basu today (April 1, 2005) termed as 'very bad' the US decision to supply F-16 aircraft to Pakistan at a time when India and Pakistan were engaged in improving bilateral ties.

''This is a very bad thing. The US has started this game again,'' Basu told reporters at the CPM office in Kolkata.

Basu said, ''We are concerned at the US move to supply F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan.''

When told that the US has also expressed willingness to give F-16 planes to India, he said, ''We don't want a war preparation like that.''