ISLAMABAD, 12 April 2006 — Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, speaking yesterday during a visit to Pakistan, urged the Islamic world to benefit from Pakistan’s “rich experience” in defense. “Pakistan has achieved excellence in the defense field and the Muslim countries must benefit from its experience,” he told reporters after visiting a heavy industry plant near Islamabad, which indigenously manufactures the state-of-the-art Al-Khalid tanks and other military equipment.
Pakistan sells weapons and military equipment including lightweight aircraft worth millions of dollars every year to a number of countries particularly in Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf.
A number of countries in the Gulf and Middle Eastern regions are also regular buyers of Pakistani Super Mushshak or Cessna aircraft, manufactured at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
Pakistan is also set to begin serial production of JF-17 (Thunder) combat aircraft from next year, which it jointly manufactured with China. The aircraft has already carried out test flights in China.
“The Muslim World is proud of Pakistan’s achievements in the defense field,” said Saleh, who arrived in Pakistan Monday on a two- day state visit. He said the country’s heavy industry products were of high quality and could compete with European, American and Russian defense equipment.
Saleh said his country wanted to enter into a defense purchase deal with Pakistan. However, he did not disclose what equipment Yemen would like to buy.
