Amid escalating tension with India, Bangladesh to buy Chinese fighter jet JF-17 from Pakistan, will it worsen Delhi-Dhaka ties?

Amid escalating anti-India sentiments and tensions in Bangladesh, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government will soon sign a defence deal with Pakistan to buy JF-17 fighter jets. Analysts believe that, more than a defence deal, it is a geopolitical development aimed at cornering India and forging deep relations with its arch-enemy. Dhaka moved closer to Islamabad after Sheikh Hasina was deposed in a series of nationwide protests in 2024. Top officials from different departments, including defence and foreign affairs, of Pakistan have visited Dhaka and held talks with their counterparts and the chief advisor to the interim government. The potential sale of the JF-17 is viewed as one more step in the direction is cementing the recently developed ties between the two countries. 

JF-17 fighter jets Bangladesh

The JF-17 Thunder is a fourth-generation, single-engine, lightweight, multirole combat aircraft developed jointly by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. It can be compared with the HAL-manufactured Tejas Mk-1A of the Indian Air Force. The geopolitical analysts point out that even if Dhaka needs such a fighter jet, why should it buy from Pakistan? Bangladesh fought a liberation war against Pakistan with the help of India in 1971. An estimated 30 lakh Bangladeshis were killed and about three lakh women were raped by the Pakistan Army in the war. 

(China-Pakistan manufactured fighter jet JF-17)

Bangladesh-Pakistan defence deal

Pakistan's Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu met Bangladesh counterpart Hasan Mahmood Khan in Dhaka last month and held detailed talks onthe  procurement of the JF-17 Thunder. Islamabad also assured Dhaka of the "fast-tracked delivery of Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, along with a complete training and long-term support ecosystem. The Pakistan military said in a statement, "The visit underscored the strong historical ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh and reflected a shared resolve to deepen defence cooperation and build a long-term strategic partnership."

In a bizarre twist to the development, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told broadcaster Geo News, "Our aircraft have been tested, and we are receiving so many orders that Pakistan may not need the International Monetary Fund in six months." The International Monetary Fund approved in 2025 a combined $1.2 billion under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). 

(Muhammad Yunus with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif.)

Anti-India sentiment Bangladesh

The geopolitical analysts point out that Bangladesh has moved closer to Pakistan very quickly since Muhammad Yunus took over on August 8, 2024. The two countries revived the long-defunct Joint Economic Commission after two decades, held its 9th session in Dhaka on October 27, 2025. The first Pakistani cargo vessel docked at Chittagong Port in November 2024. Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs Chairman General Sahir Shamshad Mirza met Yunus in October, and the two sides discussed Bangladesh’s participation in Pakistan’s AMAN-2025 naval exercise.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also visited Dhaka in August 2025, the first of its kind of visit since 2012. The two sides signed six agreements, covering visa exemptions for diplomatic passport holders, trade working groups and humanitarian cooperation. Reports suggest official visits rose 73 per cent in 2025 to 3,387, up from 1,950 in 2024.