Amid media reports that Bangladesh is planning to procure JF-17 Thunder fighter jets from Pakistan, and Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in talks to convert about $2 billion of Saudi loans into a JF-17 fighter jet deal, Pakistan's defence minister, Khawaja Asif, has made a tall claim.
According to the defence minister, Pakistan may no longer have to depend on International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailouts if countries continue to showcase interest in the single-engine lightweight combat jet, developed jointly by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), and end up procuring them.
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He credited this interest that various countries are showing in the aircraft to the India-Pakistan conflict in May. The conflict, according to him, showcased to the world Pakistan's resolve and military capabilities.
"Our aircraft have been tested, and we are receiving so many orders that Pakistan may not need the International Monetary Fund in six months," he said during an interview with Geo News.
According to a Reuters report, Aamir Masood, a retired Air Marshal and defence analyst, claimed that Pakistan was either in talks or had finalised deals for providing defence equipment, including JF-17s, with as many as six countries. He said the marketability of the fighter jet increased as it was "tested and has been used in combat."
Pakistan has been attempting to expand its arms export in the past few months. Islamabad had struck a deal with the Libyan National Army for the sale of JF-17 fighter jets and training aircraft.
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A Reuters report, on Monday, said Indonesia's defence minister met Pakistan's air force chief in Islamabad, and the two, while discussing areas of defence cooperation, also discussed the sale of JF-17 jets.