NEW DELHI, 29 March 2005 — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday said he had conveyed to US President George W. Bush India’s deep disappointment with the sale of F-16 fighters to Pakistan.
“We are deeply disappointed by the US attitude,” Manmohan Singh told reporters on the sidelines of an investiture ceremony for the Padma awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
“When he (Bush) called me up I told him. We conveyed our disappointment to him.”
Despite the US talking about a broader strategic relationship with India, the “reality” was that Washington had decided to give F-16s to Pakistan, said the prime minister.
About America’s offer to sell or to provide technology to make F-16 and F-18 jets in India, Manmohan said: “There is an offer, but the terms and conditions are not known now. We will discuss it with them.”
But he added: “We have good relations with the US”.
The US last week cleared a long-pending move to sell F-16 jets to Pakistan and simultaneously announced it was ready to sell the combat jets as well as to provide civilian nuclear technology to India.
On Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s upcoming visit to India to watch the last India-Pakistan cricket match to be played in New Delhi, Manmohan said: “I am looking forward to it.”
Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee also expressed his disappointment. “The reasons for which Pakistan is provided with this level of weapons are not much justified,” he told reporters yesterday.
“The reason is that it will help Pakistan to fight against terrorism and the Taliban. But this type of equipment is not required to fight against terrorists. This equipment is required for a full-fledged war.”
“Therefore, to my mind, supply of these weapons and equipment at this juncture of time will have an adverse impact on the composite dialogue which we are entering into with Pakistan and it may jeopardize the confidence-building measure.”
