Pakistan Foreign Office says it’s ‘unaware’ of any JF-17 deal with Saudi Arabia

A media report earlier cited 2 Pakistani sources as saying the 2 countries were discussing a plan to convert 2-bn dollars Saudi loan into a purchase of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets.

Foreign Office spokesperson told weekly press briefing Pakistan & Saudi Arabia maintain broad defence ties, but stressed no deal of the kind reported has been formally communicated to FO. | Reuters/Akhtar Soomro, YouTube/ForeignOfficePk

New Delhi: The Pakistan Foreign Office Thursday said it was “unaware” of any talks with Saudi Arabia to convert around USD2 billion in Saudi loans into a JF-17 fighter jet deal.

A Reuters exclusive report earlier in the day quoted two Pakistani sources as saying the two countries were discussing a plan to convert the Saudi loan to Islamabad into a purchase of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, months after the allies signed a mutual defence pact. 

Speaking at the ministry’s weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia maintain broad defence ties, but stressed that no deal of the kind reported had been formally communicated to the Foreign Office. 

Any development, he said, would be announced “at the appropriate time”.

According to the Reuters report, one source told it that the discussions were focused on the JF-17, a light combat aircraft jointly developed by Pakistan and China and manufactured domestically. 

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Another said the jets were the primary option among several defence items under consideration. The first source put the total value of the potential deal at USD 4 billion, including an additional USD 2 billion for equipment beyond the loan conversion. All spoke on condition of anonymity, the Reuters report said. 

Reuters also noted Saudi media posts on X that Pakistan’s Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu was in Saudi Arabia this week for bilateral talks, including discussions on military cooperation. 

JF-17 deals with other countries

Aamir Masood, a retired Pakistani air marshal and defence analyst, told Reuters that Pakistan was in talks with or had concluded defence deals with six countries, including Saudi Arabia, involving JF-17 aircraft and related systems. 

He declined to confirm specifics, but said the aircraft’s appeal had grown because it had been tested in combat and offered a cost-effective alternative to more expensive Western fighters.

Last month, Pakistan concluded a weapons deal valued at more than $4 billion with Libya’s eastern-based Libyan National Army, officials said, marking one of the largest arms sales in the country’s history. According to a Reuters report, the agreement includes JF-17 fighter jets as well as training aircraft.

Islamabad has also held discussions Tuesday with Bangladesh over a possible sale of JF-17 jets. 

Following this, Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, said that Pakistan is receiving so many orders that it may not need the International Monetary Fund in six months.

(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)