New Delhi: With India reportedly finalising a $2.2 billion deal with France to upgrade its fleet of Mirage 2000 fighters, reports now suggest that France may have put its plan to sell $1.6bn worth of similar military equipment for Pakistan's China-supplied JF-17 'Thunder' fighters on hold.

It is implied that the suspension of French plans to supply equipment to Pakistan may have been made under ''Indian pressure.''

"It's a deal that's not ready from the Pakistani side. For now, the state of the dossier doesn't allow us to carry on with it," sources at French president Nicolas Sarkozy's office said without revealing much detail.

Earlier, one of France's leading newspapers, Le Monde had reported that the Sarkozy administration had decided to suspend sales of electronics and missiles, under the first part of a six billion euro deal signed with Islamabad, heeding an Indian request.

The newspaper also said that Paris was also concerned whether Pakistan would be able to pay-off the huge amounts involved.

It was also, reportedly, concerned over the safety of the sophisticated technology being provided to Islamabad, which was insisting on assembling the equipments on its soil.

According to the newspaper, a consortium of three French companies, including leading missile manufacturer, MBDA (Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia), were meant to supply the equipment. Other partners included Thales and Sagem.

The Pakistan air force reportedly is interested in developing a ''Westernized'' version of its Chinese-made JF-17 Thunder, with European avionics, fire-control radar and weapons systems.

The aircraft was co-developed by China and Pakistan, though it is uncertain what the Pakistani contribution to the aircraft development would have been.

The JF-17 Thunder is supposed to replace Pakistan's large fleet of French Mirage III and V fighters.

Apart from facing cash pressures Pakistan could also have faced pressure from its Chinese partners, who would want to supply the aircraft with domestic systems and weapons.

While the exact contours of the upgrade package was not known, it was thought to include Thales RC400 fire-control radar and the MBDA Mica medium-range family of air-to-air missiles, as well as air-to-surface weaponry.

The aircraft are supposed to be fitted with Chinese avionics and radar, as well as radar- and infrared-guided short- and long-range air-to-air missiles and anti-ship weapons. China's PL-12 radar-guided beyond-visual-range missile may also be part of the package. A capable missile, this is now in series production for the Chinese air force and puzzled industry experts are wondering as to why the Pakistanis would have wanted to replace with the Mica, which has an inferior range.

Industry officials suggest the Chinese fire-control radar intended for the JF-17 may not be able to exploit the PL-12's potential.

Even as the French would have gone about reversing their decision to upgrade the JF-17, MBDA announced it was planning to expand its India operations and also upgrade the Indian Air Force fleet of Mirage 2000 combat jets.

The IAF's long pending deal to upgrade 51 Mirage-2000 fighters has been hanging fire for the past two years. The Price Negotiation Committee, apparently, finalised the cost last week and it is expected that the deal will be signed shortly.

The price for the entire package of radar systems, weapon suites, missiles, electronic warfare systems, aimed at converting these aircraft into next-generation fighters has apparently been settled at $2.2 billion.

The upgrade cost is considered to be rather high but then that is a traditional problem with any kind of French equipment. The prices are fancy but in line with the fancy technology that they supply. On the flip side it may be pointed out that the IAF has been very happy with the aircraft's upkeep and maintenance record and, ofcourse, its war-fighting capabilities.

The Mirage-2000 acquisition, it may be recalled, was made at the time of the late Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as prime minister as a response to the supply of state-of-the art F-16 fighters to Pakistan by the United States of America.

Given the French predilection to price their equipment at fancy levels several countries, including Israel, had offered to upgrade the Mirages at competitive prices. The French gambit of offering the same equipment to Pakistan, knowing full well that New Delhi would squirm at the prospect would appear to have paid off rather well.

So far, Delhi had adopted a hardline approach on the pricing issue for the fighter upgrade, refusing to kowtow to French insistence on their pricing. All that would now be history, provided some fresh complication doesn't crop which would allow this most ineffective of India's ministries to stall another urgent defence project for a couple of more years.