NEW DELHI - India expressed disappointment Friday at the US decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to its arch-rival Pakistan, saying it could have negative consequences for its security.
US President George W. Bush had informed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the decision in a telephone call, the prime minister's spokesman told the Press Trust of India.
"The prime minister received a telephone call from the US president this evening," spokesman Sanjaya Baru said. "...Among other things, (he) spoke about his administration's decision to propose the transfer of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan."
Singh expressed "great disappointment at this decision", pointing out that it could have "negative consequences for India's security environment," the spokesman said.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan during her tour of Asia this month. New Delhi had strongly opposed the sale when the topic was raised.
Singh said after talks with Rice in New Delhi that the sale of F-16s to Pakistan "could create some complications."
Newspapers had reported that Rice had signalled US willingness to sell F-16s to both Pakistan and India.
India says that arming Pakistan with the sophisticated warplanes would upset the military balance in the region and cast a shadow over the slow dialogue process under way between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Relations between the South Asian rivals have warmed since the peace process was launched in January last year, with both sides making a series of matching moves to boost communication links and people-to-people contacts.
The most visible sign of improvement in the relationship is their agreement last month to restart a bus service linking the two zones of Kashmir that each country occupies.
The thorny issue of divided Kashmir caused two of the three wars between India and Pakistan and brought them close to a fourth war in 2002.