The Defence Ministry has no plan to purchase the Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder multi-role fighters (JF-17) from Pakistan as was reported in the international news media yesterday, said Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

“I have never heard of this. I am hearing this for the first time. We have no plan to make such a purchase,” he told Bernama when approached at the lobby of Parliament House yesterday.

He was asked about the media reports having quoted Malaysian High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Hasrul Sani Mujtabar as saying that the Malaysian government was interested in buying the JF-17 from Islamabad.

“This [JF-17] jet fighter is considered an excellent production of Pakistan in the defence sector and A decision about the number [of purchases] would be taken very soon by the Malaysian government,” Dr Hasrul Sani was quoted as saying by the international media.

- Bernama