ISLAMABAD: International interest in Pakistan’s fighter jets has surged following the Pakistan-India May 2025 conflict, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Wednesday during a federal cabinet meeting.
Chairing the meeting, which was attended by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, and Climate Minister Musadik Malik, Sharif highlighted the impact of Pakistan’s military performance on global defense markets, according to a statement posted on his official Facebook page.
“Following our successes in the Pakistan-India May conflict, there has been an increased international demand for Pakistani fighter jets,” the prime minister said. “Several countries are currently in negotiations to acquire these aircraft.”
The two nuclear-armed neighbors went to war in May last year after Pakistan described India’s actions as an unprovoked attack following the killing of tourists in Indian-occupied Kashmir. New Delhi has accused Pakistani nationals of carrying out the attack, a claim Islamabad has rejected, instead calling for a neutral, international investigation.
The clash quickly escalated into the deadliest cross-border fighting since 2019, involving missile, drone, and artillery strikes, before both sides accepted a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10. In response, Pakistan shot down seven Indian fighter jets, including four Rafales, a feat widely noted by the international community.
US President Donald Trump also commented on Pakistan’s performance at the American Business Forum in Miami last November. “Eight planes, seven planes were shot down, an eighth was really badly wounded. But eight planes were essentially shot down,” he said.
The rising interest in Pakistan’s fighter jets has reportedly drawn inquiries from several countries, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Iraq, Sudan, and Libya’s National Army, according to media reports.
Confirming the negotiations without disclosing country names, Pakistan Defense Production Minister Raza Hayat Harraj told the BBC, “I cannot take the name of any country. Neither can I tell on what level our negotiations are with any country.”
Sharif and Asif’s comments underscore the international recognition of Pakistan’s military capabilities following the May conflict and highlight the country’s growing role as a defense exporter in the region.
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