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Apparently perturbed by increasing Indo-Israeli defence cooperation and a possible sale of Phalcon spy planes to New Delhi, Pakistan has asked the Jewish state not to get involved in South Asia.
Senior Pakistani officials conveyed this message to a high-ranking Israeli official in Paris last week, Hebrew daily MaFariv reported.
"Don't become involved in our region so that we are not dragged into doing something similar in your region," the paper quoted officials as saying.
Israeli defence sources said security cooperation between New Delhi and Tel Aviv was not targeted at any country. Allaying fears that the sale of Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems could disturb the military balance in South Asia, the sources said: "At the end of the day it's a defence system which cannot change the balance in the region."
Defence partnerships between New Delhi and Tel Aviv has raised concern among few Arab countries in the past.
During an international conference on missiles in Paris last week, a Pakistani official expressed similar concern about possible Israeli sales of AWACS and Arrow anti-ballistic missile defence systems to India.
"We are deeply concerned that there are sales of anti-ballistic missile defence systems and advanced airborne early warning abilities, which ignore the need of stability in our region," he said.
Earlier, Israel made it clear that there was no pressure from the United States against the Phalcon sale and that it was up to New Delhi to decide on the spy plane deal.
Israel wants to sell three Phalcons to the Indian Air Force and the two sides have been negotiating the estimated $1 billion deal for quite some time now. The radar systems of the Phalcons will extend the IAF's range of operation and will give India control and monitoring capabilities from the sky.
Israel has become India's second largest arms supplier after Russia, which include sea-to-sea missiles, surveillance systems, upgradation of India's Soviet-era tanks and aircraft, border monitoring equipment, night vision devices and intelligence cooperation.
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