Pakistan has signed a more than $4 billion deal to sell conventional military equipment to the Libyan army, according to the Reuters news agency, which has described it as one of the country’s largest-ever weapons sales.
The deal, per Reuters, was finalized after a meeting between Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and Saddam Khalifa Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army. The news agency said foreign ministry, defense ministry and military did not respond to its requests for comment.
According to a copy of the preliminary deal seen by Reuters, the purchase entails several JF-17 fighter jets, jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and a number of Super Mushak trainer aircraft, used for basic pilot training. A Pakistani official told the news agency the deal included the sale of equipment for land, sea and air, spread over 2.5 years, adding it could also include the JF-17 fighter jets.
Reuters noted that the United Nations has imposed an arms embargo on Libya since 2011, requiring approval of the global body for all transfers of weapons and related material. Senior Pakistani military officials have said this should not prove an issue, as many major western and Middle Eastern states have been supplying weapons and equipment to Libya for many years despite the embargo.
However, the news agency noted that the Libyan National Army controls the east and south and does not recognize the authority of the internationally-recognized Government of National Unity, which controls western Libya. This could attract greater scrutiny.