ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Pakistan is engaged in negotiations with several foreign governments over the potential export of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, Defence Production Minister Raza Hayat Harraj has confirmed, underlining that any deal will be concluded jointly with China and limited strictly to countries Islamabad considers friendly.
Speaking to BBC Urdu in an interview, Harraj said talks were ongoing but declined to disclose the identities of the prospective buyers or the stage of negotiations. “These negotiations are taking place and they take some time. Many countries have shown interest in these aircraft,” he said. “I cannot take the name of any country. Neither can I tell on what level our negotiations are with any country.”
The minister added that the secrecy surrounding the talks was deliberate. “When these jets are exported, then the world will know which countries have bought them,” he said, describing such negotiations as a country’s “jealously guarded secrets”.
The JF-17 Thunder is a multi-role, light combat aircraft jointly developed by Pakistan and China and produced in Pakistan, with key systems and technology shared between the two partners. Harraj stressed that Beijing’s involvement is mandatory in every prospective sale, given its stake in the programme and the intellectual property embedded in the aircraft.
“Whenever we enter into any agreement with someone, China will be included in it,” he said. When asked whether China also receives a financial share from any export, he replied: “A lot of matters are discussed on the table. China is definitely included in them; it should be and it is their right.”
He also set clear political limits on where the jets could be sold. “Firstly, we must ensure that we only sell [JF-17s] to those who are our friendly countries. So they are not used against us,” Harraj said.
The minister highlighted the combat record of the aircraft, noting that it was used during the four-day conflict with India last year. “The entire world’s air forces saw these jets’ performance during that time and praised it,” he said, arguing that battlefield exposure had strengthened international interest.
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Price has emerged as one of the strongest selling points of the JF-17. Harraj told BBC Urdu that while the average value of comparable fighter aircraft globally ranged between $250 million and $350 million, the Thunder was significantly cheaper. “Its value is around $40-50 million; this depends on the jet’s features, and the price can also be higher than this,” he said.
On production, the minister refused to disclose output capacity, saying it fell under national defence. “This is a question related to our national defence. These are our secrets, let them remain secrets,” he told the broadcaster, while adding that building such “state-of-the-art” jets takes time. He explained that some components are manufactured in Pakistan while others are produced in China.
Interest from abroad has been visible in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the air chiefs of Pakistan and Bangladesh held detailed discussions on the potential procurement of JF-17s. Pakistan Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu also visited Iraq this week, where the Iraqi air chief expressed a “keen interest” in the aircraft.
Reuters has reported, citing two Pakistani sources, that Islamabad and Riyadh are in talks to convert about $2 billion of Saudi loans into a JF-17 deal. Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin visited Pakistan last week, meeting the army chief and Air Chief Marshal Sidhu, with the military’s media wing saying Jakarta was keen to further expand defence ties with Islamabad. Reuters has previously mentioned Libya, Sudan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia among countries linked to discussions over the fighter jet.
Harraj, however, continued to avoid confirming any specific country by name. “These are classified matters. I cannot name any country or say at what level our talks with them are,” he said. “When these aircraft are delivered, the world will know which countries have bought them.”
The defence production minister also declined to provide details of a Pakistan-Saudi defence pact signed in September 2025. “This is a defence agreement between the field marshal, the prime minister and the Saudi government. I cannot tell any more than this,” he said.
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Bloomberg reported last week that Turkiye was seeking to join the pact. Harraj described Turkiye, China, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan as Pakistan’s close strategic partners, saying there was a “close relationship with them in terms of strategic policy”.
He also acknowledged wider defence cooperation beyond fighter jets. When asked about reports that Turkiye was interested in manufacturing drones in Pakistan, the minister said extensive work was under way on unmanned aerial vehicles, including by private companies. “I cannot tell you anything clearly, but I can say this much: a lot of work is being done on UAVs in Pakistan, even in the private sector, and many private companies are working in this field,” he said.