Pakistan to sell eight JF-17 Thunder jets to Sri Lanka

Eight agreements signed as Sharif calls for closer military ties.

Colombo: Pakistan on Tuesday sealed a landmark deal to sell JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to Sri Lanka as the two countries signed eight agreements to boost cooperation in areas like trade promotion, and science and technology besides combating money laundering and terror financing.
On the second day of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to Colombo, Pakistan agreed to sell eight aircraft to Sri Lanka, in the first successful deal to sell the jets to any country.
JF-17 Thunder is already part of Pakistan Air Force and has been successfully used to strike terrorist hideouts in northwestern tribal region.
Initially, the jets were manufactured with Chinese technical assistance but now it is solely done in Pakistan, according to a Geo TV report that claimed the deal has been finalised despite pressure from India which was forcing Colombo to buy Indian aircraft.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called on Tuesday for closer military cooperation with Sri Lanka on an official visit to the island. In talks with President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sharif also expressed a desire for more naval exchanges.
"I conveyed our desire for more frequent port calls, participation in military exercises and defence seminars and training of military personnel," Pakistan's leader said in a statement following an official welcoming ceremony.
Sharif held talks with Wickremesinghe soon after his arrival on Monday and is due to fly back on Wednesday after visiting the Buddhist holy city of Kandy.
Sri Lanka sends its military officers for higher training to both Pakistan and its arch-rival India as well as to several other countries, including the US and China.
Sharif said he was also keen to expand trade with Sri Lanka and was eager to invest in its sugar and cement industries.
Sharif said his visit to Sri lanka "is a testimony to strong bonds of friendship between our two countries".
He said Pakistan was keen to follow its goal of increasing bilateral trade volume with Sri Lanka to $1 billion. Sirisena for his part said political disturbances in Pakistan were being eliminated under Sharif's leadership.

• Pakistan