Sri Lanka drops plan to buy Thunder jets from Pakistan

Dubai - India reportedly sent a diplomatic missive to Colombo on why it should not buy the JF-17 Thunder.

Sri Lanka has dropped plans to buy Thunder jets from Pakistan after stiff opposition from India, according to media reports.

According to a report in The Indian Express, New Delhi had sent a diplomatic missive to Colombo on why it should not buy the JF-17 Thunder, and included a negative technical assessment of the aircraft. It was also pointed out that the country's defence requirements did not need fighters.

During Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to Sri Lanka last week, the countries had sealed a deal according to which Pakistan would have sold the fighter jets to the island nation.
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.

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.

• Pakistan