Kolkata, March 28
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has accused the Bush administration of disturbing the on-going peace process between India and Pakistan. India would want the peace process to continue for the larger interest of both countries.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Mukherjee expressed the view that the Bush administration should not have offered the F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan when the Indo-Pak peace process had been proceeding in the right direction. He feared that the US supply of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan would not only affect the peace process but also unnecessarily aggravate tension in the entire subcontinent.

The Defence Minister made it clear that India in no case would be in the arms race with Pakistan.

Mr Mukherjee said the troops deployed on the Indo-Pak border would not be withdrawn altogether though it had been decided to slowly reducing their deployment in view of the developing peace and friendship between the two nations.