ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jet JF-17 Thunder took to the skies for practice drills ahead of the week long 53rd Paris Air Show which begins on 17 June at the Le Bourget Airport, Paris, the PAF said in a statement.
The JF-17 Thunder is a joint project of Pakistan and China and began over a decade ago. The final assembly of the $40 million aircraft takes place at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in the country’s north-east with the engine, radar and some critical sub systems supplied by China.
On Friday, the Pakistan contingent comprising three JF-17 jets along with air and ground crew touched down in Paris, and the demo team began practice sessions for a series of aerobatic drills for their aerial display show which is considered one of the fair’s most anticipated attractions.
According to the PAF statement, one jet will be performing a flying display on all show days, while the other will be on static display showcasing its weaponry.
The first four days of the show are reserved for trade visitors, with the following three days open to the general public. After international sales success in Myanmar and Nigeria recently, the Pakistani-Chinese JF-17 fighter jet is now seeking new markets.
In February this year, the JF-17 Thunder received international attention after it shot down an Indian Air Force IAF MiG-21 during a military engagement.
Pakistani Fighter Jet JF-17 takes to Parisian skies seeking new markets
Pakistani Fighter Jet JF-17 takes to Parisian skies seeking new markets
- Three $40 million Pakistan-Chinese JF-17 thunder aircrafts are participating in the show
- The Paris air show is the largest air show for the aerospace and defense industry
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
