ISLAMABAD – Pakistan just inked one of its major arms deals worth over $4.6 billion with Libyan National Army (LNA).
Pakistani defence officials confirmed this development to British wire service, saying the agreement was finalized last week in Benghazi, after high-profile meeting between Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Saddam Khalifa Haftar, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Libyan National Army and son of eastern Libya’s strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Despite repeated requests, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, and military spokesperson remained completely silent, fueling speculation about the deal’s strategic and political implications.
The report quoting high profile sources said the agreement includes 16 JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter jets, jointly developed by Islamabad and Beijing. It also included 12 Super Mushshak training aircraft for basic pilot training. A broader package covering land, naval, and air combat equipment and joint training, military cooperation, and defence production.
On Sunday, LNA’s official media channel announced Libya’s entry into defence cooperation agreement with South Asian nation.
Libya remains deeply fractured since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi. Western Libya is controlled by the UN-recognized government led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. Eastern and southern Libya, including key oil fields, are controlled by Haftar’s LNA, which does not recognize the western government.
Libya has been under a UN arms embargo since 2011, requiring UN approval for any weapons transfer. However, a December 2024 UN experts’ report bluntly stated that the embargo has become largely ineffective, with multiple foreign states openly providing military aid and training to both sides of the Libyan conflict.
It remains unclear whether Pakistan or Libya obtained UN authorization for the deal. Pakistan is not the only country signing defence deals with Libya.
This deal comes as Pakistan expands its global defence exports, leveraging decades of counterterrorism combat experience. A rapidly growing domestic defence industry spanning fighter aircraft, armored vehicles, Weapons and ammunition and Naval shipbuilding.
The package includes training, maintenance, and long-term logistical support, positioning Pakistan as a full-spectrum defence partner, not just an arms seller.
Alongside this Libyan breakthrough, Pakistan is strengthening security ties with Gulf states, finalizing strategic mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and holding high-level defence talks with Qatar.
Libya deal is expected to significantly boost Pakistan’s influence in North Africa, a region where global and regional powers are fiercely competing for leverage over oil, security, and political control.
Field Marshal Asim Munir vows to strengthen defence ties with Libya
