ISLAMABAD, Dec 13: Islamabad has expressed concern over statements emanating from New Delhi that the US sale of F-16 fighter jets or any other military hardware to Pakistan could have a negative bearing on the ongoing India-Pakistan peace process and sully the atmosphere.

"In the past week lots of statements attributed to the Indian defence and external affairs ministers appeared in the media. They are disturbing because they are not grounded in facts," the foreign office spokesman said in reply to a question at his weekly news briefing here on Monday.

"By making such statements they are misleading Indian public opinion and misinforming the international community because this doesn't pose a threat (to the peace process) and we remain upbeat about our engagement with India," he stated. "We have assurances from the highest-level that they will persist in this peace process and this process is meant to produce results," he added.

He expressed the hope that the dialogue process started after painstaking efforts would succeed ultimately, and said that Pakistan was committed to sustain the process.

Answering a question, Mr Masood Khan maintained that in contrast to Pakistan's 'modest defence acquisitions', Indian weapons acquisition programme was very ambitious. He said India was buying advance weapons systems from all over the world, including Russia, United States, South Africa, Israel and France.

The spokesman maintained that Pakistan's modest acquisitions in fact were an attempt to fill gaps which emerged in its conventional capabilities in the 90s when huge US sanctions had crippled its capabilities. "So, this is a corrective mechanism, we do not want to match India's gun for gun, missile for missile and aircraft for aircraft," he said.

"As far as we are concerned, there should be a sense of balance and we must restore symmetry in the conventional capabilities of India and Pakistan, which will contribute to stability in the region," he said.

Listing India's massive defence acquisitions and extensive shopping list, he pointed out that India had plans of buying weaponry of $ 95 billion in the next 15 years to enhance its conventional and strategic capabilities.

"This is a time when they (Indian ministers) should go deeper into all aspects of India-Pakistan relations including conventional asymmetry and conflict resolution and other interrelated issues," he emphasised.

The spokesman responded in the negative when asked if the Indian statements about sale of F-16s would have a direct bearing on the forthcoming talks on nuclear CBMs.

In reply to a question about the failure of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus talks, he said: "Each event which does not produce results should not be seen as a fiasco. He said this was the most opportune time to press negotiations and if one came across an impasse, one should work around it. He indicated that the issue could be resolved at the foreign secretary-level meeting later this month.

BAGLIHAR: On the Baglihar dam dispute with India, the spokesman regretted that despite assurances from Indian leaders twice this year to speed up the consultation process, the issue remained unresolved.

He said Pakistan had already informed the World Bank about it and a decision at the highest-level had been taken to take the matter to the World Bank. Asked when would Pakistan formally ask the World Bank to appoint a neutral expert to settle the dispute under Article IX of the Indus Waters Treaty, he said: "Fairly quickly." When pressed further on the timeframe, he said: "I cannot be more specific."

The spokesman said he was mindful of the public sentiment in Pakistan that the government should have gone to the World Bank much earlier. However, he said Pakistan wanted to exhaust all diplomatic and political avenues before exercising this option.

Referring to a series of meetings between Pakistani and Indian officials on the issue, he said: "Pakistan has shown patience, made all efforts and shown respect for diplomatic norms."

CHINA VISIT: Mr Khan said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would pay a visit to China from Dec 14 to 18 at the invitation of Premier of State Council Mr Wen Jiabao. He said the primary objective of the visit was to reinforce political and strategic understanding between the two countries, and to reinforce economic and trade ties.

OSAMA: In reply to a query regarding reports that Osama bin Laden had been sighted in Chitral and Balochistan, he said: "Osama has not been sighted in Chitral or any part of Pakistan."

He also said that no operations were being conducted by the US forces inside Pakistan. However, he maintained that Pakistan's endeavours to track down suspected Al Qaeda terrorist groups continued.

The spokesman was evasive when asked why President Musharraf had referred to the Iraq war as a 'war on terror' at a press conference during his recent Europe tour, particularly when the war had been declared 'illegal' by the UN secretary-general.

"I have to look at the transcript of the press conference", was his response. In reply to a question about Iran being the next US target, he said it was a hypothetical question, but added that Pakistan would counsel against such a move and advocate a diplomatic resolution of issues.

Answering a question as to why US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who recently visited India, did not come to Pakistan, Mr Khan said he had met President Musharraf in Washington.