Khaberni - Pakistani sources told "Reuters" that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are conducting talks to convert approximately two billion dollars of Saudi loans into a deal for purchasing JF-17 fighters.
These talks reflect the allies' efforts to enhance defense cooperation at a time when Pakistan is facing severe financial pressures, while Saudi Arabia is reshaping its security partnerships to hedge against uncertainties related to the United States' commitments in the Middle East.
The mutual defense agreement was signed after the Israeli strikes that Israel said targeted locations for "Hamas" in Doha, which was a shocking attack in the Gulf region.
One source said the discussions focus on supplying Saudi Arabia with JF-17 Thunder fighters, a light combat aircraft developed jointly by Pakistan and China and produced in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the second source confirmed that these fighters represent the primary option among other options being considered.
The first source added that the total value of the deal reaches four billion dollars, with an additional two billion dollars spent on other equipment on top of the loan conversion.
The chief of the Pakistani Air Force, Zaheer Ahmed Baber Siddequi, visited Saudi Arabia to conduct bilateral talks, among them discussing military cooperation between the sides, according to the Saudi media SaudiNews50 on Monday.
The mutual defense agreement, signed in September, stipulates that both parties consider any aggression against either of them as an attack on both, significantly deepening a security partnership that goes back decades.
In 2018, Riyadh announced a support package worth six billion dollars for Pakistan, including a three billion dollar deposit at the central bank, along with oil supplies worth three billion dollars on a deferred payment system.
Since then, Saudi Arabia has extended the deposits several times, including an extension worth 1.2 billion dollars last year, which helped Islamabad stabilize its foreign exchange reserves amid chronic balance of payments pressures.
