NEW DELHI: India has shown its ambitions to be treated as a global power by rejecting a special ally status from the United States awarded to Pakistan, analysts said on Wednesday.

India had protested the US designation of Pakistan as a major military ally, but the foreign ministry later made clear that New Delhi was not interested in the status itself.

"It's too little too late for India to accept this kind of an offer and offering it as an afterthought only adds insult to injury," foreign policy expert C. Raja Mohan said.

Indian officials frequently urge the West not to treat Islamabad and New Delhi as equals. Invoking its position as the world's largest democracy, India considers obtaining a permanent seat on the UN Security Council a top foreign-policy goal.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell announced the special status for Pakistan last week in Islamabad, two days after talks in New Delhi that focused largely on trade.

The Indian foreign ministry said it was 'disappointing' that Mr Powell did not forewarn New Delhi and said the decision had 'significant' implications for India-US relations.

Mr Powell later telephoned the Indian foreign minister and offered similar cooperation with New Delhi, according to the foreign ministry here. But foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said on Tuesday: "We have not given any consideration for that kind of relationship with the US."

An unnamed official quoted in the Hindustan Times said India would never accept such a status from the United States as "it negated the very basis of its foreign policy".

"We have only agreed to a strategic partnership which classifies us as an equal partner of the US on our own terms," the official said. US Ambassador David Mulford repeatedly praised India for its growing prosperity and commitment to democracy during a speech to business leaders in New Delhi on Tuesday.

But despite official Indian dismissal of sops from the US, there was still concern in New Delhi about the reward for Pakistan. "What we want to tell them (the United States) is that their... status to Pakistan translates into lots of F16s, lots of different kinds of weapon systems and lots of different sorts of missiles at heavy concessions," former foreign secretary S.K. Singh said.

"This makes Pakistan a very difficult and an aggressive neighbour to deal with," he said. -AFP