"Firstly, the US has denied the report that they are intending to sell F-16 to Pakistan. This has been denied by US as a false story," Fernandes told reporters in the western Indian city of Pune.

"Secondly, even if we assume that they are going to sell it, we need not have any reason to worry about it as we have our own best aircraft," he said, referring to the Sukhoi-30 aircraft which India has acquired from Russia.

"We have no reason to worry about it."

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is due to seek the release of the F-16 jets during talks this week in Washington. The 28 planes were bought more than 13 years ago but held up over US concerns about Pakistan's nuclear program.

The Pentagon last week denied a report in a specialist strategic journal that Washington was planning to deliver the planes.

On Saturday, India's Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani said he did not believe the United States would release F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan after his personal lobbying in Washington against such a move.

WAR.WIRE