Pakistan's reaction mischievous: Antony

New Delhi, Mar 6 (UNI) Defence Minister A K Antony today described as ''mischievous'' Pakistan's reaction to his purported statement that India would give hot pursuit to terrorists across the border.

''I have not made the statement at all. I don't know how and where it originated.... Pakistan's reaction is mischieveous,'' Mr Antony told reporters on the sidelines of a function to give away the trophies for the best marching contingent on the Republic Day.

The Defence Minister said he had come before the media only twice this year-- once during the Aero India show at Bangalore and then at the Coast Guard function at Goa.

''On both occasions I did not make such statement. I do not know where it originated.'' At a weekly press briefing in Islamabad yesterday, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeperson Tasneem Aslam had said Mr Antony's ''statement'' was irresponsible and militated against the efforts by the two countries to normalise relations.

Replying to a question by a journalist on Mr Antony's purported statement, Ms Aslam had also said they had to first check its veracity.

On the increase in China's defence budget by 17.8 per cent, Mr Antony said: ''We do not want to compete with anybody on the defence budget. We have our own modernisation needs in which we are 10-15 years behind. But we will fulfill them over the years.'' He welcomed the comment by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in Parliament that the government was committed to the modernisation of the armed forces and that money would not be a constraint.

UNI