In what comes as a major strategic decision concerning the power balance in South Asia, Pakistan plans to acquire 40 J-35s, the Chinese stealth fighter jets, a media report says. It will be China's first sale of its fifth-generation fighter to any country, recalibrating regional dynamics, particularly in relation to Pakistan's rival India, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
The report quoting Pakistan media says that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had approved the purchase of 40 aircraft. These jets are expected to be delivered within two years, which would replace Pakistan's ageing fleet of American F-16s as well as French Mirage fighters.
Notably, the decision to purchase fifth generation fighter comes amid Pakistan faced with serious economic crisis. However, there has been no official confirmation from the Chinese side or mention of such a deal in the official.
Speculations regarding Pakistan purchasing the Chinese jets became prominent after top PAF officials attended the prestigious annual air show at Zhuhai city where the Chinese jet was exhibited.
The land-based version of J-35 was called J-31, according to previous reports. China is currently the only country in the region to have developed stealth aircraft.
Foundation for acquiring the J-31 laid: PAF Chief
PAF chief Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu said in January that “the foundation for acquiring the J-31 stealth fighter aircraft has already been laid”, according to the Post report.
All weather allies, China and Pakistan, shared a deep military relationship shrouded in secrecy. Beijing has been helping the modernisation of all three wings of the Pakistan military as it modernised its own armed forces with billions of dollars of defence expenditure.
China has helped Pakistan to jointly develop and operate the J-17 Thunder fighter jet, the mainstay of the PAF.
China has delivered four advanced naval frigates to the Pakistan Navy in the last few years to enable it to play a bigger role along with its navy in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.
The reports of Pakistan's plans to acquire China’s latest fighter jets come in the backdrop of the visit of top PLA General Zhang Youxia to Pakistan last month, during which he held one-on-one talks with Pakistan’s Army chief Gen Asim Munir.
Gen Zhang is Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall command of the Chinese military headed by President Xi Jinping.
A readout issued by the ISPR after the talks said their engagements focused on “matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics, measures for regional stability, and enhancing bilateral defence cooperation”.
Gen Zhang’s visit coincided with the arrival of 300 Chinese troops to Pakistan to take part in counter-terrorism drills.
China wants Pakistan to ensure safety of personnel
According to Pakistan media reports, China is pressing Pakistan to allow its security firms to protect about 20,000 Chinese personnel working on the projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), who are increasingly coming under attacks from militant groups in Pakistan.
For its part, Pakistan says it has deployed over 30,000 military and para-military personnel to protect the Chinese workers. Pakistan has been reportedly resisting Beijing's pressure to deploy Chinese troops over sovereignty concerns, according to the reports.
(With agency inputs)
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