Pakistan May Have J-10C Manufacturing Capability in Future, Khurram Dastgir Says

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan may have the capability to manufacture J-10C fighter jets in the future, former federal minister and PML-N leader Khurram Dastgir has said.

Speaking on Samaa News’ programme, Dastgir said Pakistan and Turkey could expand their drone production capabilities if Saudi Arabia makes significant investments in the two countries’ defence industries.

He noted that Turkey has expertise in drones and helicopters, while Pakistan has established production capabilities for the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet.

Dastgir said the emerging cooperation among Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia could prove highly beneficial for Pakistan’s economy and defence sector. He described the alignment of two Muslim countries with independent defence capabilities and Saudi Arabia, which possesses major financial and oil resources, as a positive development.

He said the three countries’ leadership would face the challenge of deepening their relations and ensuring that the agreements translate into tangible economic and strategic benefits.

Commenting on the changing geopolitical landscape, Dastgir said the United States was no longer willing to use its military power to keep the Strait of Hormuz open or to protect its allies in the Arab world.

He described this as a new strategic reality and argued that the global order established after the 1990 Gulf War was now undergoing a major transformation.

Dastgir also said the US effort to establish Israel as the dominant security power in the region had failed.

Retired Rear Admiral Faisal Shah said the cooperation between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan represented a multilateral strategic arrangement. He argued that any country considering aggression against one of the three states would have to take into account the possibility of facing all three.

Former ambassador Sardar Masood Khan said the agreement could contribute to improvements in defence technology and economic cooperation. He also called for a defence-production agreement between Pakistan and China.

The experts expressed optimism that greater Saudi investment could help Pakistan and Turkey expand defence production, particularly in drones and other advanced military technologies.