Monitoring Desk: The multi-billion dollar amounting 4.6 billion USD conventional arms export deal by Pakistan to Libya is reflective Pakistan’s domestic industrial prowess on one hand and Field Marshal Asim Munir’s statesmanship as a soldier diplomat on the other.
A copy of the deal, before it was finalized, that was seen by Reuters listed the purchase of 16 JF-17 fighter jets, a multi-role combat aircraft that has been jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft, used for basic pilot training.
In recent past, Pakistan has made remarkable progress in developing its indigenous industrial base including mines and minerals, AI, Information Technology, Crytpo, large scale manufacturing, Agriculture and defence technologies etc
Pakistan indigenous defence products were demonstrated and admired by all in the recent Mark e Haq. Pakistan has a long history of being a supplier of conventional arms and equipment to many countries for quite some time now and the deal struck with Libya is historic in term.
Although Libya is under arms embargo through resolution 2769 (2025) but many major western and Middle Eastern countries have been supplying weapons and equipment to Libya for many years. With this deal, Pakistan has announced its entry into the club of leading exporters of conventional arms & equipment. European countries such as United Kingdom provides arms to Libya despite of embargo. Over £9 million worth of UK arms were exported to Libya, despite the arms embargo. 2013 saw the highest number of arms licenses in the decade, reaching £7.8 million of military arms licenses alone. After that year, licenses declined to 142k and remained reasonably constant, hitting 198k in 2018.
Pakistan to supply conventional arms to Libya
The multi-billion dollar amounting 4.6 billion USD conventional arms export deal by Pakistan to Libya is reflective Pakistan’s domestic industrial prowess on one hand and Field Marshal Asim Munir’s statesmanship as a soldier diplomat on the other.
A copy of the deal, before it was finalized, that was seen by Reuters listed the purchase of 16 JF-17 fighter jets, a multi-role combat aircraft that has been jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft, used for basic pilot training.
In recent past, Pakistan has made remarkable progress in developing its indigenous industrial base including mines and minerals, AI, Information Technology, Crytpo, large scale manufacturing, Agriculture and defence technologies etc
Pakistan indigenous defence products were demonstrated and admired by all in the recent Mark e Haq. Pakistan has a long history of being a supplier of conventional arms and equipment to many countries for quite some time now and the deal struck with Libya is historic in term.
s of size and financial impact that shows Field Marshal Munir’s extraordinary skills in military diplomacy.
Although Libya is under arms embargo through resolution 2769 (2025) but many major western and Middle Eastern countries have been supplying weapons and equipment to Libya for many years. With this deal, Pakistan has announced its entry into the club of leading exporters of conventional arms & equipment. European countries such as United Kingdom provides arms to Libya despite of embargo. Over £9 million worth of UK arms were exported to Libya, despite the arms embargo. 2013 saw the highest number of arms licenses in the decade, reaching £7.8 million of military arms licenses alone. After that year, licenses declined to 142k and remained reasonably constant, hitting 198k in 2018.
Countries Identified for supplying weapons to Libya despite if Un embargo
1. United Arab Emirates (UAE). Supplied armed drones (Wing Loong I & II), missiles, armored vehicles, and aircraft. Built and operated airbases in eastern Libya
2. Turkey: Supplied drones (Bayraktar TB2), armored vehicles, air-defense systems, and weapons.
3. Russia: Supplied weapons via private military contractors. Deployed fighter jets (MiG-29, Su-24), air-defense systems, mines, and heavy arms
4. Egypt: Supplied small arms, ammunition, armored vehicles. Allowed cross-border transfers into eastern Libya. Provided training and logistical support to LNA
5. France: Supplied anti-tank missiles (Javelins) found in LNA bases (2019). France admitted ownership but claimed weapons were “damaged and not intended for transfer”
6. Jordan: Supplied armored vehicles and weapons. Provided training and logistics
7. Sudan: Served as a transit route and supplier of small arms and mercenaries. Weapons moved through Darfur into southern Libya
8. Belarus: Supplied military equipment and aircraft. Linked to Russian logistical networks
9. Qatar (earlier phase, 2011–2014). Supplied arms to Islamist factions during the uprising. Later reduced involvement
10. Iran (limited and indirect): Small arms shipments intercepted
