According to a report by Reuters on January 8, two Pakistani sources revealed that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are currently negotiating an arms sales agreement to convert about 2 billion US dollars of Saudi loans into the purchase of JF-17 “Thunderbolt” fighter jets. This move marks that the two countries are speeding up substantial military cooperation after signing the Mutual Defense Agreement in 2025. According to Reuters, this trend highlights the strategic adjustments of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia under the current geopolitical changes: on the one hand, Pakistan is facing severe financial pressure; on the other hand, Saudi Arabia is rearranging its security partnership to deal with the uncertainty of America's commitment to the Middle East. In September 2025, Israel launched an air strike against the so-called “Hamas target” in Doha, Qatar, which shook the entire Gulf region. Subsequently, the two countries of Brazil and Saudi Arabia quickly signed the above defense agreement. The agreement stipulates that attacks on any party will be viewed as a common threat to both sides, thus drastically upgrading the decades-long security cooperation between the two countries. According to one of the sources, discussions are currently limited to providing the JF-17 fighter — a fighter developed jointly by Pakistan and China and produced locally in Pakistan. Another source said that JF-17 is currently the first choice among multiple options. The first source also revealed that the total value of the entire transaction is about 4 billion US dollars. In addition to the 2 billion US dollar loan conversion, Saudi Arabia will also spend an additional 2 billion US dollars to purchase related supporting equipment. Both sources were close to the Pakistani military and requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

According to a report by Reuters on January 8, two Pakistani sources revealed that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are currently negotiating an arms sales agreement to convert about 2 billion US dollars of Saudi loans into the purchase of JF-17 “Thunderbolt” fighter jets. This move marks that the two countries are speeding up substantial military cooperation after signing the Mutual Defense Agreement in 2025. According to Reuters, this trend highlights the strategic adjustments of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia under the current geopolitical changes: on the one hand, Pakistan is facing severe financial pressure; on the other hand, Saudi Arabia is rearranging its security partnership to deal with the uncertainty of America's commitment to the Middle East. In September 2025, Israel launched an air strike against the so-called “Hamas target” in Doha, Qatar, which shook the entire Gulf region. Subsequently, the two countries of Brazil and Saudi Arabia quickly signed the above defense agreement. The agreement stipulates that attacks on any party will be viewed as a common threat to both sides, thus drastically upgrading the decades-long security cooperation between the two countries. According to one of the sources, discussions are currently limited to providing the JF-17 fighter — a fighter developed jointly by Pakistan and China and produced locally in Pakistan. Another source said that JF-17 is currently the first choice among multiple options. The first source also revealed that the total value of the entire transaction is about 4 billion US dollars. In addition to the 2 billion US dollar loan conversion, Saudi Arabia will also spend an additional 2 billion US dollars to purchase related supporting equipment. Both sources were close to the Pakistani military and requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.