Pakistan denies canceling helicopter deal with Turkey

Pakistan’s Army on Friday rejected some digital media reports that Pakistan has cancelled a T-129 ATAK helicopter deal with Turkey.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, clarified that speculations over the cancelation of Pakistan’s deal for acquiring T-129 ATAK helicopters from Turkey are baseless.

Addressing a news conference on Jan 5, the DG ISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, explaining Pakistan’s defence procurement needs, said Pakistan’s armed forces are continuously enhancing their capacity and upgrading technology while remaining cognisant of the threat and operational requirements.

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“While answering a question related to Pakistan’s deal with Turkey for acquiring T-129 ATAK helicopters, the statement made by the DG ISPR was misconstrued on some digital media platforms.

“It is clarified that Pakistan has never ruled out an acquisition of military helicopters from Turkey. All speculations in this regard are baseless,” said ISPR.

Talking about the situation along the country’s eastern border, Maj Gen Babar said: “Our adversary is continuously procuring the latest equipment. Any conventional imbalance in the region is very dangerous and can lead to an arms race.”

On border fencing with Afghanistan, the ISPR chief said the situation on the western border remained challenging in 2021, mainly due to evolving situation in Afghanistan.

He explained that under a comprehensive border management regime, 94% of fence work on the Pak-Afghan border and 71% of fence work on the Pak-Iran border has been completed.