Even at half the price, is this Chinese jet proving costly for bankrupt Pakistan
In a flash sale–like deal for Pakistan, China is reportedly offering a 50% discount on the J-35A, its most advanced fighter jet, to its 'iron brother.' The aircraft is marketed as an alternative to the U.S.'s F-35. The deal for 40 jets comes at a time when Pakistan's economy is faltering.
Pak Finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb's announcement of a 20% hike in the country's defence budget to ₹2.5 trillion, which comes amid the advanced weapons deals. On the other hand the government has cancelled 118 development projects worth ₹1,000 billion (PKR).
The Shehbaz Sharif government has slashed the national budget by 7% to 17.57 trillion rupees ($62 billion) for the current fiscal with minimal resistance from the political circles.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
목 망치는 경추베개 TOP3
IT 업종 7년차 팀장
더 알아보기
Also Read:
Chenab railway bridge: While India lays tracks in Kashmir, Pakistan cancels development projects
The J-35A, a twin-engine, multi-role fighter equipped with PL-17 missiles and advanced AESA radar, promises to enhance Pakistan's air superiority and strike capabilities.
Pakistan Air Force
has already approved the purchase, and various agencies have reported that pilots are already training in China.
Live Events
The western neighbour's approximately 80% of weapons arsenal is made up of Chinese weapons. Pakistan used Chinese weapons such asJ-10C fighters and HQ-9 air defence systems against India in the recent conflict. The 40
J-35A fighter jet
deal in addition to the 50% discount also comes with liberal payment terms with deliveries starting as soon as August.
India has opposed to loans to Pakistan
Earlier this year, Pakistan secured an $800 million
loan
from the
Asian Development Bank
. This followed a $1 billion tranche from the
International Monetary Fund
, part of a broader $7 billion
bailout
programme. The latest IMF bailout package is the country's 28th in the past 35 years.
India has publicly opposed both, arguing the funds could be diverted to support terrorism rather than their intended development use.
Pakistan Foreign minister Ishaq Dar is busy trying to portray his country as a stabilising force and India as the aggressor. He has been engaging with Gulf states, EU and the UN to counter the terrorism narrative against Pakistan.
These efforts include back-channel talks and leveraging the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
to secure economic lifelines from Beijing. During a recent visit to China, Dar thanked Beijing for its support during the India-Pakistan conflict, highlighting it as an 'iron-clad' relationship.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
11 minutes ago
- Time of India
NEET-PG 2025: Shashi Tharoor urges JP Nadda to allot extra exam centres in Kerala; says available seats 'exhausted within minutes'
Shashi Tharoor & JP Nadda (File photos) NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor , who is also the Lok Sabha MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, wrote to Union heath minister JP Nadda on Saturday, urging his immediate intervention in authorising additional centres for NEET-PG aspirants in the coastal state. Tharoor said the medical exam students were unable to choose any city within Kerala as the available seats were "exhausted within minutes of the website reopening". Highlighting that National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) already has data on number of applicants in Kerala, Tharoor said it would be "unfair to restrict the number of centres in the state and put the candidates through distress, inconvenience, and financial burden by forcing them to travel to other states for the exam". "Dear @JPNadda Candidates from Kerala appearing for the NEET-PG 2025 exam are unable to choose any city within the state as their test city, as the available seats were exhausted within minutes of the website reopening. As NBEMS already has data on the number of applicants from Kerala, it is unfair to restrict the number of centres in the state and put the candidates through distress, inconvenience, and financial burden by forcing them to travel to other states for the exam. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo I hope you will intervene immediately to help these candidates by authorising additional centres without delay. Thank you!" posted MP Shashi Tharoor on X. The NBEMS on Friday published the revised list of exam cities for the NEET PG 2025 examination on its official website. The updated list confirms that the number of test cities has been expanded to 233, ahead of the entrance test scheduled for August 3, 2025. Candidates will now be required to resubmit their preferred exam cities from June 13, 2025 (3 PM) to June 17, 2025 (11:55 PM) via the official portal. NBEMS has clarified that the city allotment process will operate on a first-come-first-serve basis, depending on candidate priority and availability.
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Indices declines 0.7% amid rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions
Mumbai: India's equity indices ended 0.7% lower on Friday after falling as much as 1.6% earlier in the day after Israel's strikes on Iran raised fears of supply disruption of crude oil and a wider conflict in the Middle East. Brent Crude Futures jumped over 7% to $74.6 per barrel on Friday. Analysts said the underlying bullish undertone helped the market cut a portion of its losses in Friday's trading session. "Despite the bearish news flows, the decline in the market was limited as benchmark Nifty held the key support level of 24,460 and recovered the losses made in the early trading session," said Akshay Chinchalkar, head of research, Axis Securities. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 23.7% Returns in last 5 years with Shriram Life's ULIP Shriram Life Insurance Undo The NSE Nifty fell 0.7%, or 169.60 points, to finish at 24,718.60. The BSE Sensex moved 0.7%, or 573.38 points, lower at 81,118.60. Both indices declined by over 1% each in the past five trading sessions. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Israel has launched unprecedented strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear programme and military leaders. The event sent oil prices soaring on worries that an escalation could disrupt supplies from the oil-rich region. Iran is one of the world's biggest oil producers. Brent crude has surged about 14% in the past two days. At home, the Volatility Index or VIX-the market's fear gauge-gained 7.6% to 15.08 on Friday, indicating traders expect higher risks in the near term. Live Events Agencies Analysts do not expect a bigger slide unless key support levels of 24,450-24,500 are breached. "Till the support levels are intact, any declines are expected to be bought into," said Ruchit Jain, vice president- head, technical research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services . "Nifty is likely to witness time-wise correction and struggle to move above 25,000 to 25,200 levels." The Nifty Mid-cap 150 and the Small-cap 250 indices declined 0.4% each. In the past week, the mid-cap index shed 1.2% while the small-cap index fell 0.44%. Out of the 4,122 shares traded on the BSE, 1,401 advanced, while 2,595 declined. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net of ₹3,831 crore on Friday. Their domestic counterparts sold shares worth ₹9,394 crore. In June, overseas investors sold shares worth ₹5,079.8 crore.
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
BTS star Jungkook issues apology for 'inadequacy and carelessness' over controversial 'Make Tokyo Great Again' hat
BTS member Jungkook has issued a heartfelt apology after sparking controversy by wearing a hat with the phrase 'Make Tokyo Great Again' during a rehearsal performance. The slogan, reminiscent of former U.S. President Donald Trump 's 'Make America Great Again,' drew sharp criticism from netizens in South Korea and beyond due to its perceived 'insensitivity' amid ongoing historical tensions between Korea and Japan. The incident occurred during rehearsals for fellow BTS member J-Hope's 'Hope On The Stage' final concert at Goyang Stadium. A photo of Jungkook wearing the hat quickly circulated online, igniting backlash across social media platforms. Responding to the controversy, Jungkook posted a formal apology on Weverse on June 14 KST, expressing remorse over the incident and taking full responsibility. 'Hello, this is Jungkook,' he began. 'My heart is heavy over the fact that I am writing this right after our reunion. I sincerely apologize for disappointing and displeasing many people through the hat I wore during rehearsal.' He went on to clarify that he had not understood the deeper implications of the phrase: 'It was due to my inadequacy that I went on stage wearing a hat without checking the historical and political meaning held in the words, and for that, I am deeply reflecting on myself. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending Local Enterprise Accounting Software [Click Here] Accounting ERP Click Here Undo I'm just sorry.' Acknowledging the seriousness of the misstep, he added, 'There's no room for excuses. It was my inadequacy and carelessness which brought about this situation. From now on, I will act with greater care and consideration. I will humbly accept all criticism and judgment directed toward me for my mistake.' He concluded, 'The hat was disposed of immediately. Once again, I apologize.' Online reactions remain divided, with some fans appreciating Jungkook's swift and sincere apology, while others continue to express disappointment. 'He should've been more aware, especially considering the context,' one user wrote. Others noted that the phrase, while possibly intended as satire, was still inappropriate in light of complex regional sensitivities. The controversy comes at a significant time for BTS, as the group celebrates its 12th anniversary. Thousands of fans gathered on Friday for the annual FESTA celebration, many donning purple and carrying light sticks in honour of the group's legacy. With six of the seven members now discharged from mandatory military service, anticipation is building around the possibility of a full-group comeback.
