MOSCOW, May 21: Russia has threatened to lift its arms `embargo' against Pakistan if India went ahead with a deal with Czechoslovakia to purchase 500 T-72 MI tanks.

Irked by reports of `confidential' Indo-Czech negotiations on the possible purchase of 500 T-72 MI tanks by India, the Russian government is considering to ``review its stand on (arms) trading with Pakistan and a number of other countries, if India signs tank deal with the Czech Republic,'' according to Itar Tass.

The news agency said though Russia has a programme for the modernisation and upgradation of T-72 tanks, India, is perhaps lured by the low price of Czech tanks.

Indian sources here confirmed that Moscow had offered New Delhi the T-72 tanks sometime back and the offer was under consideration by the defence ministry for evaluation.

However, due to slow process of Indian decision-making for quite sometime, the cash-strapped Russian defence industry is impatient and mounting pressure on Kremlin to permit the sale of latest weapons to Islamabad.

An unnamed official of the Sukhoi aircraft plant in Komosmolsk-on-Amur said that the plant was ``ready to execute Pakistani order for multi-role Su-27Sk or Su-35 without any delay, as soon as the related government give their permission.'' ``At one time Tosvoorouzhenie company had refused to supply Su-27 fighters and their modifications to Pakistan, though the Pakistani military still desires to acquire them.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.