Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif confirms several countries ‘actively’ engaged in talks to acquire its fighter jets

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

• Pakistan says multiple countries are in talks to buy its fighter jets
• Talks reportedly include JF-17 Thunder jets and Mushshak training aircraft
• Pakistan insists on selling only to friendly nations with China's involvement

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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday claimed that several countries were actively engaged in talks with the country to acquire its fighter jets following last year’s conflict with India.

Speaking at a federal cabinet meeting, Shehbaz claimed that demand for Pakistani fighter jets had risen, with multiple countries “actively engaged” in talks on the same, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. He did not specify the aircraft under discussion, but local media said negotiations involved the JF-17 Thunder fighter jets with countries including Sudan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

Interest has also been shown 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 said Pakistan must ensure that JF-17 fighter jets are sold only to friendly countries so they are “not used against us.” He added that China is consulted and remains on board whenever Pakistan signs such a deal with another 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.

Asked about the exact value, he told BBC Urdu, “Its value is around $40-50m; this depends on the jet’s features, and the price can also be higher than this.”