The French government’s decision not to upgrade the Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighter jets could severely impact the Pakistan Air Force which has had about 150 Mirage fighter jets manufactured by the French firm Dassault Aviation. Pakistan had been buying Mirage jets for decades, some of them discarded by other countries, according to a 2018 AFP report, and has a facility outside Islamabad to refurbish the ageing fighter jets to keep them flying. Diplomats in New Delhi and Paris told Hindustan Times that Pakistan had recently requested France for upgrades to keep the fighter jets in the air. Pakistan’s National Assembly went a step further to pass a government-supported resolution that demanded recall of Pakistan’s envoy to Paris. France and Turkey have been on opposite sides elsewhere as well including Libya, Mediterranean, Syria and Nagorno Karabakh.

Source: Hindustan Times November 20, 2020 06:43 UTC