Pakistan Air Force Chief Meets Saudi Military Leaders Amid Reports of Possible JF-17 Fighter Jet Discussions
[ISLAMABAD] Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said it was unaware of any agreement to supply JF-17 fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia, rejecting media reports that suggested such a deal was in place.
Reuters, citing two sources, earlier reported that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in talks to convert nearly $2 billion in Saudi loans into a deal centered on the supply of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, with one source describing the aircraft as the main option under discussion among other considerations.
The first source said the total deal would be worth $4 billion, with an additional $2 billion from the loan conversion to be spent on equipment.
The JF-17 is a light fighter aircraft jointly developed by Pakistan and China and manufactured in Pakistan.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share long-standing and wide-ranging defense ties, involving cooperation in several areas.
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Andrabi noted that the Foreign Office was not aware of any such deal at this stage and that if anything materializes, it would be shared at the appropriate time.
The two countries signed a mutual defense agreement following Israeli strikes on Hamas targets in Doha.
Reports of the potential deal came after Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu recently visited Saudi Arabia, where he met Lt. Gen. Turki bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, and Gen. Fayyadh bin Hamed Al Ruwaili, chief of the general staff.
According to a statement from the Pakistan Air Force’s media wing, the leaders discussed air force collaboration, joint training programs, operational cooperation, and the sharing of professional expertise.
Experts say that the talks indicate how both allies are moving to put defense cooperation into practice at a time when Pakistan is facing severe financial pressure and Saudi Arabia is reshaping its security partnerships to hedge against uncertainties over US commitments in the Middle East.
Pakistan is either in talks or has finalized arrangements with six countries to supply JF-17 aircraft, electronic systems, and weapons systems for fighter jets. Saudi Arabia is among these countries, although no details of the negotiations can be confirmed.
Meanwhile, a digital platform, South Asia Index, reported that “Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan are preparing to sign a mutual defense agreement amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.” If it materializes, it would be the Middle East’s largest defense treaty and could reshape the region’s geopolitics.
None of the parties have confirmed this new development.
