Pakistan has reached a weapons deal worth more than $4 billion with Libya’s eastern-based Libyan National Army, according to four Pakistani officials, in what would rank among the country’s largest-ever military export agreements despite a long-standing United Nations arms embargo on Libya.
The deal was finalised after a meeting last week in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi between Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Saddam Khalifa Haftar, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army, the officials said. All four sources, who are involved in defence matters, spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the agreement.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry, defence ministry and military did not respond to requests for comment. Authorities in Benghazi also did not immediately reply to inquiries.
A copy of the draft agreement seen by Reuters before it was finalised lists the purchase of 16 JF-17 fighter jets, jointly developed by Pakistan and China, along with 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft used for basic pilot instruction. One Pakistani official confirmed the accuracy of the list, while another said the weapons outlined were all included in the deal, though exact quantities could vary.
One official said the agreement covers equipment for land, sea and air forces and would be implemented over about two and a half years. Two of the officials estimated the deal’s value at more than $4 billion, while the other two put it closer to $4.6 billion. The package could also include JF-17 fighter jets, they said.
The Libyan National Army’s official media outlet reported on Sunday that the group had entered a defence cooperation pact with Pakistan encompassing weapons sales, joint training and military manufacturing, without providing specific details. In remarks broadcast by Al-Hadath television, Haftar described the agreement as “a new phase of strategic military cooperation with Pakistan.”
Any arms agreement involving Libya is likely to draw scrutiny because of the country’s protracted instability since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi and split Libya between rival authorities. The U.N.-recognised Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, controls much of western Libya, while Haftar’s forces dominate the east and south, including key oilfields, and reject the authority of the western government.
Libya has been under a U.N. arms embargo since 2011, requiring Security Council approval for transfers of weapons and related materiel. A U.N. panel of experts said in a December 2024 report that the embargo remained “ineffective,” noting that foreign states had increasingly provided training and military assistance to both sides despite the restrictions.
It was not immediately clear whether Pakistan or Libyan authorities had sought exemptions from the embargo. Three of the Pakistani officials said the agreement did not violate U.N. restrictions. One argued that Pakistan was not alone in engaging with Libya, another said there were no sanctions specifically targeting Haftar, and a third pointed to improving relations between eastern Libyan authorities and Western governments, partly driven by rising fuel exports.
The deal comes as Pakistan intensifies efforts to expand its defence exports, leveraging a domestic arms industry that includes aircraft production, armoured vehicles, munitions and naval construction. Islamabad has also highlighted the operational experience of its armed forces, including recent clashes with India in May.
“Our recent war with India demonstrated our advanced capabilities to the world,” Munir said in remarks broadcast by Al-Hadath on Sunday.
Pakistan has positioned the JF-17 as a lower-cost, multi-role fighter aircraft and marketed itself as a supplier capable of offering equipment, training and maintenance outside traditional Western supply chains. The country has also been strengthening security ties with Gulf partners, signing a strategic mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and holding senior-level defence talks with Qatar.
If implemented, the Libya agreement would significantly expand Pakistan’s footprint in North Africa, a region where regional and global powers are competing for influence over Libya’s fractured security institutions and oil-backed economy.
