Pakistan has reportedly earned $364 million from weapons/arms deals with US companies to supply ammunition to Ukraine, as reported by the BBC Urdu , citing details of the contract from the American Federal Procurement Data System.
The deals were signed on August 17, 2022, involving two American companies – Global Military and Northrop Grumman; and also these deals were specifically linked to the purchase of 155mm shells.
Further, the BBC Urdu report claimed that a USD 232 million contract was awarded to Global Military while another USD 131 million contract was signed with Northrop Grumman.
Noteworthy, these deals/ agreements expired last month i.e. October 2023.
Also to be noted that the arms were transported from Pakistan to Ukraine via a British military cargo plane which flew from Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan in Rawalpindi to the British military base in Cyprus, Akrotiri, and then to Romania a total of five times to supply arms to the war-torn country.
However, Pakistan has officially denied selling weapons to Ukraine, stating that it upholds a policy of strict neutrality in the conflict.
But the data from the State Bank of Pakistan shows a significant increase in arms exports during the fiscal year 2022-23.
Noteworthy, Pakistan exported arms worth USD 13 million in 2021-22, while these exports reached USD 415 million in 2022-23 witnessing an increase by 3,000 per cent during FY 2022-23.
This arms deal has raised concerns about Pakistan’s neutrality and its relationship with the US.
