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NEW DELHI, Tuesday (AFP) India said Pakistan's comments on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's explosive statement on Muslims were in "extremely bad taste."

Indian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Nirupama Rao also said Pakistan's military rulers had no right to comment on Vajpayee, the elected leader of the world's largest democracy.

"It is astonishing that the mouthpiece of a military regime which has overthrown democracy and is pursuing plans for a fictional democracy with all power and controls vested in the army through a constitutionally suspect referendum, should be accusing others of being reactionary," she said.

Vajpayee, viewed as a moderate in his Hindu nationalist party, in a public rally on Friday suggested Muslims were to blame for violence in parts of predominantly-Hindu but secular India.

"Hindus stay in millions but never hurt others' religious feelings. But wherever Muslims are, they do not want to stay peacefully," Vajpayee had said.

"It is happening in Indonesia, Malaysia, everywhere. They (Muslims) stay by threatening and frightening others," he said, but late Sunday night the premier asserted his comments had been misconstrued.

Vajpayee insisted that his comments were against Islamic fundamentalism and not on Muslims at large, but neighbouring Pakistan Friday fired a bitter salvo on the premier's original comments.

In Islamabad, Pakistani foreign ministry Sunday said: "The remarks reveal Mr Vajpayee's anti-Muslim bias. They are a pathetic attempt to divert attention from the recent massacres of hundreds of Muslims by Hindu fanatics in Gujarat state of India."

"The government of Pakistan is seriously concerned at the bigoted and extremist message contained in the Indian Prime Minister's remarks," it said in a statement.

An official Indian statement termed Pakistan's reponse to Vajpayee's comment as "most unfortunate and in extremely bad taste."

"Pakistan, casting aside diplomatic norms, has now taken to making unwarranted personal comments about the prime minister of India," it said.

"Instead of making derogatory and abusive comments about the democratically-elected prime minister, Pakistan should seek to address the religious bigotry practised in its society, where followers of other religions and even other sects of Islam are not allowed the freedom of their religious beliefs," she said.

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