It said that the manoeuvres were an attempt at vitiating the atmosphere of the forthcoming foreign secretary level talks which start in Islamabad on Friday.

The spokesman said that this had now become a consistent pattern with the Indians to sour the atmosphere for negotiations by either launching an offensive on the Line of Control or indulging in any other similar incident that had the potential to intensify the confrontational situation.

``We are extremely concerned over the nature, size and timing of the exercises,'' foreign office spokesman Tariq Altaf told journalists Tuesday.

The foreign office spokesman confirmed that Pakistan had received a notification about the Indian military exercises. ``However these military exercises are on a completely different scale,'' he said.

Replying to a question aboutthe Indian military exercises, he said that it was in keeping with their track record. ``We are wondering what objective these exercises would serve,'' the foreign officespokeman said. ``We have been given a routine information about a routine exercise in the form of a routine notification, '' Altaf said.

``But what we hear is a different story. Even the sea and air borne troops will be involved in this very large exercise which could have been avoided at this time,'' he added.

He, however, said Pakistan would enter into the dialogue with an open mind.Pakistan, he said, had taken up the matter with the Indian High Commission on Tuesday and said that Pakistan had been given the assurance that these military exercises would not be held close to Pakistani border.

The Indian Defence Ministry recently announced military exercises which would include aircraft and warships including an aircraft carrier already deployed in the Arabian Sea. Reports appearing in a section of the press further disclosed that theexercises, which start this month and would continue till November.

Indian officials said Pakistan was given advance warning of the military exercise. It will be the biggest military manoeuvre since 1987, which the brought the two countries to the brink of war.

A report in English language daily, The News, suggested that Pakistan too will carry out two month war games in the plains of Punjab and the deserts of Sindh provinces. Quoting unnamed senior officers, the newspaper said that the army chief will visit all the formations.

Important appointments and transfers prior to the exercise were expected in the army hierarchy.