Pakistan earned Rs31bn through defence exports this year, says Zubaida Jalal

DUBAI: Federal Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal on Sunday said that Pakistan made at least Rs31 billion from the export of defence-oriented products this financial year. 

The minister was talking on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow 2019 that kicked off on Sunday.

The airshow was opened by vice-president and prime minister of UAE and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Close to 1,288 exhibitors and more than 87,000 trade visitors are expected to visit the airshow over the next five days. More than 160 countries, including Pakistan, are participating at the mega event. 

Pakistan’s Super Mushshak training aircraft is also on display at the airshow, but JF-17 Thunder is not present in this year’s airshow.

Many aviation enthusiasts, especially Pakistanis and Chinese, were a little dejected when they did not find the jet. 

The aircraft had been a regular at Dubai airshows for the past ten years. Not only in Dubai, but JF-17 Thunder had successfully been participating in various reputed air shows all over the world too.

Jalal also visited Pakistan pavilion and met engineers of Super Mushshak at the site of the airshow on the first day. 

She lauded the efforts of Pakistani engineers for developing state-of-the-art aircrafts in Pakistan and said that Pakistan has received three times more foreign exchange this financial year by exporting defence products. 

“More than $200 million (Rs31 billion) has been earned by defence production’s export and this amount would increase in coming years," she said.