What happened
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, that Pakistan was holding talks with several countries for the sale of its fighter jets, citing a surge in international demand after the country’s conflict with India in May 2025, Geo News reported.
“After Pakistan won the war last year, the demand for Pakistani fighter jets has increased […] many countries are actively engaged with us to acquire the jets,” the prime minister said while addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet, according to the Geo News report.
The JF-17 negotiations
Minister for Defence Production Raza Hayat Haraj, in an interview with the BBC, also confirmed that Pakistan was in talks with several countries over potential agreements to sell JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, Geo News reported. The minister said negotiations were under way with multiple states for the export of the multi-role combat aircraft, which has been jointly developed by Pakistan and China.
He added that any agreement would require China’s consent, given its role in the development of the JF-17. “These negotiations are taking place and they take some time. Many countries are interested in these aircraft,” the minister was quoted as saying.
According to Geo News, Reuters has reported, citing official sources, talks with Libya, Sudan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia regarding defence agreements, particularly the sale of JF-17 Thunder jets. Minister Haraj avoided naming any country, saying: “These are classified matters. I cannot name any country or say at what level our talks with them are.”
Background
Geo News recalled that Pakistan and India went to war in May after India launched what it described as an unprovoked attack on Pakistan following the killing of tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi maintains that the attackers who killed 26 tourists in the Pahalgam area were Pakistanis, a charge Islamabad has denied and on which it has asked India to take part in a neutral investigation, the report said.
The two nuclear-armed neighbours ended the conflict on 10 May with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, according to the report.
What is still uncertain
The prime minister and the defence production minister did not name the countries involved, the value or stage of any negotiations, or a timeline for a possible sale. The report did not specify what share of any future deal would go to China or how many aircraft might be exported.
Sources & reporting notes
This article summarises reporting published by Geo News on 14 January 2026. It is not eyewitness reporting. Claims about the May 2025 conflict and about the number of aircraft involved are as reported by the source.
- Geo News — Pakistan in talks with multiple countries over fighter jet sales: PM Shehbaz14 January 2026 · Report from Islamabad on the prime minister's remarks to the federal cabinet, the defence production minister's BBC interview and the JF-17 negotiations.
