'Indo-US nuke deal upsets regional balance of power'

The Foreign Ministry said Bush, who visited the South Asian neighbours earlier this month, should have offered both Islamabad and New Delhi similar deals to enhance their respective nuclear programmes.

The US plan will "only encourage India to continue its weapons programme without any constraint or inhibition," the ministry said in a statement Friday.

Congress must either amend US law or approve an exception for India if the agreement is to go ahead. American law currently restrict the trade of nuclear material and equipment to countries that have not submitted to full nuclear inspections, which India has not done.

"The grant of (such a) waiver as a special case will have serious implications for the security environment in South Asia as well as for international nonproliferation efforts," the statement said.

Pakistan is a key US ally in its was on terror, but Washington is refusing to share civilian nuclear technology with it, fearing it may not be able to keep the technology from other countries.

Pakistan became a nuclear power in 1998 when it conducted underground tests in response to India's nuclear tests, but the international community was alarmed in 2004 when top Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan admitted supplying Iran, North Korea and Libya with sensitive technology.