Several countries in talks with Pakistan to acquire its fighter jets: PM Shehbaz Sharif

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday claimed that several countries were in talks with Pakistan to acquire its fighter jets following last year's conflict with India.

Addressing a federal cabinet meeting, Shehbaz said that the demand for Pakistani fighter jets has increased and many countries are "actively engaged with us to acquire the jets," state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

He did not specify the aircraft which were at the centre of talks. However, local media reports said that JF-17 Thunder fighter jets were part of talks with countries like Sudan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

Some countries were also interested in the Mushshak training aircraft.

Shehbaz's remarks came a day after Minister for Defence Production Raza Hayat Haraj told BBC Urdu in an interview that several countries were interested in buying JF-17 Thunder.

“These negotiations are taking place and they take some time. Many countries have shown interest in these aircraft,” the minister was quoted as saying.

“I cannot take the name of any country. Neither can I tell on what level our negotiations are with any country,” he said, adding that when these jets are exported, then the world will know which countries have bought them.

Haraj also said that Pakistan must ensure that JF-17s were sold to friendly countries so that “they are not used against us”.

He added that China is on board whenever Pakistan signs such a deal with any country.

The minister termed the price of the jet “an important” aspect, detailing that while the average value of such planes around the world was $250-350 million, the JF-17 Thunder was cheaper.